Pakistani forces end 20-hour standoff with militants in the northwest

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani security forces ended on Saturday a standoff with militants holed up inside a police compound in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. The confrontation began Friday after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a mosque, and gunmen stormed the facility, killing 21 people and wounding 103 others.The coordinated attack occurred at a compound in Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Many of the casualties were police officers and people attending prayers at a mosque.Several militants took up positions inside the complex, and a shootout with security officers ensued, police official Mohammad Sadiq said. The complex houses the police's Special Branch intelligence agency, offices of the Counter Terrorism Department, and houses of counterterrorism officers who have carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years.Sadiq said the operation ended after 20 hours. Security forces were searching the compound and nearby areas, and the bodies of eight attackers were recovered, according to local police. Bursts of gunfire could be heard in the compound as additional security personnel arrived,...