Blast at government office in Pakistan kills 21

A suicide bomber attacked a government office in Pakistan Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and wounding about 78, officials said.

A Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the attack on a branch of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), which issues government ID cards, in the north-western city of Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"A suicide bomber riding an explosives-laden motorcycle hit the Nadra office in Mardan where a large number of people were standing in queues," police officer Naeem Khan told Reuters.