At least 12 killed after suicide bombing in Pakistan

At least 12 people have been killed in a suicide bombing outside the gates of a court in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, the country's interior minister has said.

At least 27 other people were also wounded after the bomber detonated his explosives next to a police car.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attacker tried to "enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle".

Mr Naqvi added that authorities are "looking into all aspects" of the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but authorities have recently struggled with a resurgent Pakistani Taliban.

The explosion, which was heard from miles away, occurred at a busy time of day when the area outside the court is typically crowded with hundreds of visitors attending hearings.

More than a dozen badly wounded people were screaming for help as ambulances rushed to the scene.

"People started running in all directions," said Mohammad Afzal, who claimed he was at the court when he heard the blast.

Islamabad police did not immediately issue statements about the attack but said the investigation was ongoing.

Pakistani security forces earlier said they foiled an attempt by militants to take cadets hostage at an army-run college overnight, when a suicide car bomber and five other attackers targeted the facility in a northwestern province.

The authorities blamed the Pakistani Taliban, which is separate from but allied with Afghanistan's Taliban, but the group denied involvement in that attack on Monday evening.

The assault began when a bomber attempted to storm the cadet college in Wana, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.

The area had until recent years served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and other foreign militants.

According to local police chief Alamgir Mahsud, two of the militants were quickly killed by troops while three others managed to enter the compound before being cornered in an administrative block.

The army's commandoes were among the forces conducting a clearance operation and an intermittent exchange of fire went on into Tuesday, Mr Mahsud said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced both attacks and said those responsible must be brought to justice swiftly.

"We will ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and held accountable," he said.

Mr Sharif described attacks on unarmed civilians as "reprehensible", adding: "We will not allow the blood of innocent Pakistanis to go to waste."