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Curfew Imposed As Death Toll From Suicide Bombing In Pakistan Climbs 


A curfew has been imposed in a tribal district in northwest Pakistan where a suicide bombing killed at least 36 people.

The attack occurred on September 16 during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district, one of seven tribal districts along the porous border with Afghanistan.

At least 29 people were wounded in the attack in the village of Pai Khan. About 200 worshipers were inside the mosque at the time of attack.

Security forces have launched an operation in the area.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar -- a breakaway faction of the banned Tehreek-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- claimed responsibility for the attack. The group claimed the attack targeted members of a vigilante force that killed 13 of its members in 2009.

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on lawyers in Quetta, which killed 73 people on August 8.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing, saying the government would remain steadfast in its fight against extremists.

The White House denounced the attack, saying it was an "appalling reminder that terrorism threatens all countries in the region," and said the United States would continue to work with Islamabad to fight terrorism.

With reporting by Dawn

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