A suicide blast Friday ripped through a crowded mosque in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 16 people and wounding at least 23 more, officials said.

The bombing happened in Mohmand Agency, one of the seven semi-autonomous Pakistani districts on the Afghan border.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the violence that officials often blame on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban and its splinter factions. The extremists have killed tens of thousands of people over the past decade in suicide and other terrorist attacks across Pakistan.

 Authorities see the violence a retaliation to Pakistani counterterrorism operations against militant strong bases in the border region.
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