The suicide bombing at a mosque in northwest Pakistan which killed at least 21 people has been traced to Afghanistan, with investigators identifying one of the attackers as an Afghan national, officials said on Saturday.
Militants detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the mosque during Friday prayers and stormed nearby police facilities in Kohat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
At least 21 people, including 15 policemen, were killed and 103 others injured in the explosions. Most of those killed and injured were police personnel offering Friday prayers at the mosque.
One of the attackers has been identified as an Afghan national, while a second attacker's identification is underway, according to a member of the investigation team.
Police, the counter-terrorism department, the Elite Force and security forces are jointly investigating the attackers' identities and possible cross-border links
According to security sources, efforts are continuing to trace the militant network and identify those who facilitated it.
The identification of the Afghan national has heightened the focus of the investigation into possible cross-border elements involved in the attack.
Pakistani security authorities have reiterated in the past that militant groups based in Afghanistan pose a threat of terrorism and cross-border infiltration into Pakistan. The possible links between militant groups in Afghanistan and terrorism in Pakistan have again come under scrutiny following Friday's attack.
Pakistani officials have also accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing elements linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil, allegations that the Afghan Taliban has denied.
A little-known militant group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Friday's attack. The group, an alliance comprising the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, was formed in April 2025.
Security forces also killed eight militants who were attempting to enter the police compound following the blast.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said key buildings in the compound were cleared.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the past few years.
