At least 27 people were killed in a suicide car bombing followed by a gunfight at a mosque in northwest Pakistan.

The dead include six civilians and 15 police officers, while dozens of others were injured, according to Al Jazeera.

A faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A group named 'Ittehadul Mujahideen', affiliated with Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed it carried out the suicide bombing.

During Friday prayers, an explosives-laden vehicle was driven into the entrance of a police headquarters mosque in the city of Kohat, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Kohat serves as a crucial gateway to several volatile regions, including North Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

Provincial police chief Zulfikar Hamid confirmed the suicide bombing.

Following the blast, gunmen attempted to enter the police compound, sparking a shootout with police personnel.

Dr. Tahir Shah, speaking to the German news agency DPA, stated that at least 27 bodies and over 100 injured people were brought to the hospital.

Al Jazeera's sources reported the number of injured to be at least 75.

Bilal Faizi, a senior rescue official, stated that the majority of the injured were worshippers who had gathered for prayers.

The blast caused extensive damage to the mosque, and the outer wall of the police station also collapsed.

Local residents said the sound of the explosion was heard from areas far across the city.

Al Jazeera's journalist Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, stated that at least six attackers were killed in the subsequent gunfight.

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the TTP and other armed groups to operate from Afghan soil.

However, Kabul has consistently denied these allegations.

While the TTP is a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban, it maintains an alliance with them. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Hyder noted that Kohat is close to the Afghan border and is one of the main cities leading toward the volatile North Waziristan region. It also lies on the route to Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan, where several fatal attacks have occurred in recent months.

Michael Semple, a visiting professor at Queen's University Belfast and former European Union representative to Afghanistan, said the goal of these armed groups is to overthrow the Pakistani government.

According to him, a complex attack like the one in Kohat cannot be executed without planning, logistics, and training.

Semple stated that the nature of the attack suggests fractions of al-Qaeda and the TTP are getting opportunities to train for such attacks under the shelter of the Afghan Taliban.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over this issue are longstanding, with both countries carrying out cross-border strikes at various times.

Meanwhile, just two days prior to the Kohat mosque attack, six soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a security forces convoy in the nearby Hangu district of northwestern Pakistan.

The following day on Thursday, security forces conducted operations across various areas and killed 10 suspected Taliban fighters, according to the military and police.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Kohat attack and directed authorities to expedite rescue and relief operations.

In a statement, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior termed the attack a "cowardly act" and stated that such actions by the perpetrators will not weaken the nation's firm resolve.