UPDATE - Pakistan suicide bomb attack kills more than 20

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, NUMBER OF INJURED, ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - At least 25 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew up himself in a mosque in northwestern Mohmand Agency tribal area, according to a local official Friday.

Thirty others were injured when the bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest during Friday prayers, Mahmood Aslam, an administrative official told reporters.

The injured have been transported to hospitals in nearby Peshawar and Charsadda districts where doctors described the condition of several as critical.

This is the second suicide blast in Pakistan in less than a week. Police foiled a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in southern Shikarpur district on Tuesday, when the nation was celebrating Eid-al-Adha, one of the two main Muslim festivals.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack but Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a consortium of different militant groups in Pakistan, has been targeting the military and civilians for the last several years.

The army launched a large-scale military onslaught on the troubled tribal region along the Afghan border in June 2014 killing over 3,500 suspected militants in air strikes and clashes.

Nearly 500 troops have also been killed in landmine blasts and clashes with battle-hardened militants during this period.

Security has improved following the military operation. However, scattered terrorist attacks still take place.

Mohmand Agency, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan, is considered one of the nerve centers of the Pakistani Taliban.