{O/C} In Pakistan, the Islamic State launched yet another attack on a Shiite Muslim Mosque, killing at least 56 people.
Authorities believe the Islamic State grew a spine after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
{SOT}
A lone suicide bomber was suspected to have detonated a bomb in a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar during regular Friday prayers.
The Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement despite the stringent security measures.
Many victims sustained injuries as a result of shrapnel or flying debris, and a number of worshippers had their limbs amputated.
The Police Chief of Peshawar said at least one gunman on a motorcycle had killed two police guards before entering the mosque and had a suicide vest detonated.
Sifting through the mosque, detectives had recovered pellets, empty bullet cartridges and remnants of the gun used in the initial attacks.
Residents admitted the blast gave them a moment of fright.
As 10 of the 194 injured were in critical condition, authorities fear the death toll may still go up.
Dozens of relatives descended upon the hospital where victims were being tended to, hoping to learn the fate had not been sealed.
The attack, one of the worst in recent years, broke a relative lull in violence in Peshawar, which has been marred by frequent attacks.
The Pakistani interior minister called the attack out of line and a blatant attempt to disrupt peace and hard-fought tranquility of the provincial capital.
There was a second mosque attack on Friday in Paktia Province in Afghanistan that killed three people and wounded dozens.
The group is believed to have been taking a page from the Taliban, which took over Afghanistan last year.
Pakistan has urged Afghanistan's new rulers to hand over its Taliban militants, but so far, no word yet on when they will return to their homeland.
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