Bomb explodes close to mosque used by police in northwest Pakistan, killing 5

Bomb blast near mosque kills 5 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a mosque used by police Friday in an area of northwestern Pakistan, killing five people, said police.

Worshippers were leaving Friday prayers when the attack occurred in the Lower Dir region, said the area’s police chief, Feroze Khan.

The blast wounded another 28 people, mostly police, said a local hospital official, Ghulam Mohammed.

Islamist militants have staged a string of bloody attacks against Pakistani security forces in recent months.

Lower Dir is next to the Swat Valley, which Pakistani soldiers wrested from the Taliban earlier this year.