A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 26 people and wounded dozens on Tuesday after crashing into the main gate of a government office in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

The blast in the town of Mardan demonstrated the Pakistani Taliban’s continued ability to stage deadly attacks, despite a major military offensive against its headquarters that analysts say has reduced its capacity.

The explosion ripped through the front entrance of a regional branch of the National Database and Registration Authority, which is responsible for issuing ID cards. "At least 26 people have been killed and more than 50 injured," provincial information minister Mushtaq Ghani told AFP.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the hard-line Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban), claimed responsibility. Pakistan has been battling an Islamist insurgency since 2004 after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan caused fighters to flee across the border, where they began to foment unrest.

More than 27,000 civilians and security personnel have died in attacks since that time, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a monitoring site. But overall levels of extremist-linked violence have dropped dramatically this year, with 2015 on course for the fewest deaths since 2007 — the year the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group was formed. — AFP

Blast in the northwest town of Mardan in Peshawar targets registration office