Peshawar mosque bombing death toll rises to 65

PESHAWAR: Another victim of the suicide bombing at a mosque during prayers last Friday in Peshawar died of injuries on Thursday, increasing the death toll to 65.

The deceased, later identified as Asif, was under treatment at a local hospital.

It is to be noted here that almost 60 people were martyred in a suicide attack inside the Imambargah in Kucha Risaldar, Peshawar. The remaining breathed their last in hospitals.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement, which would make it one of the biggest attacks carried out by the group inside Pakistan.

An armed man who arrived near the mosque on a motorcycle opened fire when he was stopped by police, before forcing his way into a crowded hall and detonating his suicide vest, senior police official Haroon Rasheed said.

The attacker first shot at the police guards at the mosque's entrance, killing one of them, he said. "The armed man entered the mosque and started firing on the worshippers and finally blew himself up," Rasheed added.

Previously, police had said they were two men on the motorcycle.