Blast outside Shia Mosque kills at least two in Kohat

At least two people were martyred and seven injured on Thursday when a bomb exploded outside a Shia Mosque in Kohat, a southern city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Police officials said the bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked near the Shia mosque aimed to target Shia worshippers and a temporary bus-stand in Kacha Pakka area on Kohat’s Hangu road.

Kohat District Police Officer Dilawar Bangash told reporters that the explosion was carried out through a remote-controlled device.

“Between four to five kilograms of explosive material was used in the bomb. I can confirm the death of two people and seven people were injured,” he said.

The bomb exploded just as Shia worshipers were coming out of the mosque after offering Zuhr prayers.

The injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital, where officials said the condition of some of the wounded was critical.

The powerful explosion also damaged nearby shops. Kacha Pakka area of district Kohat is the shia populated area of the district.