PESHAWAR: An Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber who killed 64 people at a Shia mosque in Peshawar last week was an Afghan exile who returned home to train for the attack, police said Wednesday.

There have been warnings Afghanistan could become a recruiting ground and staging post for militants since the Taliban returned to power last year following the hasty withdrawal of US-led forces.

The Taliban have pledged they will not allow Afghan soil to be used to plot attacks on other nations, but last month the UN Security Council said “terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom there than at any time in recent history”. Two senior police officials told AFP that the suicide bomber responsible for Friday’s Peshawar blast had prepared the attack in Afghanistan.