At least 26 people were killed in a blast Tuesday in the northern Pakistani city of Mardan, police said. The explosion took place at the city's National Database and Registration Authority offices -- where Pakistanis get ID cards and passports. Several other people were injured in the attack, said Saad Wazir of the Mardan police. Police believe a suicide bomber drove his motorcycle into the office building. Shortly afterward, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban -- the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul Ahrar -- claimed responsibility. "We attacked the National Database Registration Authority office because it plays an essential role in this war," said a statement signed by the group's spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan. "Any Pakistani institution that is involved in this war will continue to be a target for us going forward." The Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, share the same religious extremist ideology as their Afghan namesake but are a distinct group. The TTP have been fighting to overthrow Pakistan's government via a terrorist campaign, according to the U.S. State Department. In October, the TTP Jamaat ul Ahrar claimed responsibility for the bombing of a political office for the country's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz. Shortly after that attack, Ehsan vowed the attacks would continue until Sharia law was fully implemented in Pakistan.
