Pakistani security forces have ended a nearly 21-hour clearance operation at the Police Lines compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after a coordinated militant assault on the complex left dozens of people dead and more than 100 injured, authorities said.
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said eight attackers were killed during the operation, which followed a large-scale assault that began during Friday prayers inside the mosque at the Police Lines complex. The compound houses police units and security installations in Kohat, a city that has repeatedly been targeted by militant groups in northwestern Pakistan.
According to police, the attack began when militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the entrance of the compound, triggering a powerful explosion that breached the perimeter. Armed attackers then entered the complex and exchanged gunfire with security forces as officers rushed to evacuate worshippers and secure nearby buildings.
Authorities said one suicide bomber detonated explosives near the building of the police Special Operations Unit during the assault, intensifying the attack as security personnel fought militants inside the compound.
The death toll has varied across official statements and media reports. A senior police official told AFP that at least 31 people were killed, including 16 police officers. Earlier statements from local police and health authorities had reported 21 fatalities, including 15 police personnel, with more than 100 people wounded. Authorities have continued updating casualty figures as victims are identified and the injured receive treatment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police described the attackers as members of Fitna al-Khawarij, the term Pakistani authorities use for militant groups linked to the Pakistani Taliban and affiliated factions. Officials said forensic teams were collecting evidence and investigating how the attackers penetrated the heavily guarded security complex.
The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Pakistani media and security officials. Pakistani authorities have also alleged that militant groups operating in the region receive external support, although they have not publicly provided evidence linking any foreign state to the Kohat attack.
The assault is one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months and underscores the deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant violence has surged since the collapse of the ceasefire between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad. The province bordering Afghanistan has witnessed frequent attacks targeting police stations, military convoys and government facilities.
Pakistan’s military and police have intensified counterterrorism operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a series of attacks on security installations, saying militant groups continue to exploit mountainous border regions and urban networks to stage coordinated assaults.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government also condemned the attack. In a statement, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry described the bombing of a mosque in Kohat as an “unjustifiable and condemnable act” and expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured.
The investigation into the Kohat attack remains ongoing as authorities seek to identify the attackers, determine their support network and establish the full sequence of events that led to the assault on the Police Lines compound.
