IS claims responsibility for suicide bombing at rally that killed 54 in Pakistan

Pakistani police officers stand guard following the suicide bomber attack in the Bajur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Mohammad Sajjad/AP)

The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban cleric’s rally in one of the worst attacks in the country in recent years.

IS, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, made the claim in a statement posted on its Amaq website.