AT LEAST 40 people have been killed in twin suicide attacks in northwest Pakistan.

The attack took place at a government compound in the Mohmand Agency, which borders Afghanistan, the BBC reports. The area is a known stronghold of insurgents like al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The attack was carried out by two suicide bombers disguised in police uniforms and targeted a local administration compound in Ghalanai. Reuters quotes Amjad Ali Khan, a top government official who the attack appeared to target:

There were two bombers. They were on foot. The first blew himself up inside the office of one of my deputies while the second one set off explosives when guards caught him.

Two Pakistani television journalists are among the dead and another 60 people have been injured.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban spokesman Omar Khalid said it was in response to what he described as the Pakistani government’s decision to hand over Arab militants to the United States.