The death toll in a suicide bombing at a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar has risen to at least 100, most of whom are police officers, as rescue crews continue to sift through the rubble and debris inside the partially collapsed building.
The January 30 attack on the Sunni mosque located inside a high-security police facility is one of the deadliest to target Pakistani security forces in recent years. Some 220 people were also injured in the bombing.
Peshawar is the capital of the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders Afghanistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet Minister Muhammad Ali Shah told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that officials were meeting to ensure security in the area and they "will not allow the city of flowers to turn into a city of bombs."
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has condemned the attack and ordered an investigation into how the attacker managed to get inside the compound.
"Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan," Sharif said on Twitter.
Sharif, who visited a Peshawar hospital after the attack, declared a national day of mourning and vowed "stern action" against the perpetrators.
However, authorities have yet to establish who was behind the bombing.
Eyewitnesses told Radio Mashaal that suicide bombers standing in the first row behind the imam detonated explosive vests as worshippers gathered for the afternoon prayers in the Police Line Mosque on January 30.
Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack shortly afterward.
But hours later, TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani denied involvement, saying it was not the group's policy to target mosques, seminaries, and religious places.
Khurasani did not say why Mohmand had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Suicide Bombing Kills Dozens At A Mosque In Pakistan
The TTP has waged an militancy in Pakistan for the past 15 years.
On January 31, rescuers were continuing to search through the rubble for survivors or bodies, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet Minister Muhammad Ali Shah told Radio Mashaal that improved security was the authorities' main priority.
"We, the federal government, and all the agencies will not let the city of Peshawar become a city of bombings," Shah said.
The White House on January 31 condemned the attack.
"Terrorism is indefensible, and to target worshipers is unconscionable. The United States stands ready to provide support to Pakistan in its efforts to recover," said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned it the day before. Guterres called it "abhorrent," his spokesman said, and Khan called it a “terrorist suicide attack.”
"It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering [and] properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism," Khan tweeted.