A POWERFUL bomb exploded at a mosque near a building housing police offices in north-western Pakistan today, killing at least 15 people and wounding 56. 

Violence has surged in the region, with security forces targeting militants.

The bombing occurred in Kohat, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, when an attacker apparently rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque, said provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed.

Hospital officials confirmed that five police officers and 10 civilians were among the dead, according to senior rescue official Bilal Faizi. Most of the wounded were worshippers, he said, and some were in a critical condition.

At least two gunmen also attempted to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers, police said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties. He directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The attack came a day after a roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in the north-western Hangu district, killing six soldiers.