KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – According to Pakistani officials, the attack on the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat on September 18 resulted in 23 fatalities, including 17 police officers and six civilians. The assault took place in northwestern Pakistan. The violence erupted during Friday prayers when an explosives-laden vehicle was driven near the mosque inside the compound. Gunmen then breached the premises and opened fire. Emergency services from Rescue 1122 transported the injured to hospitals, while security personnel sealed off the area and initiated a clearance operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police reported that eight assailants were killed as security forces conducted a thorough search of the premises overnight. Clashes persisted in several buildings before the police secured the site on Saturday. The Old Police Lines serves as the district police headquarters and also houses the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch. Police stated that after the initial explosion, the attackers reached different sections of the complex and exchanged gunfire with security forces during the ongoing operation.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, confirmed that emergency teams retrieved 23 bodies and treated 91 injured individuals from the scene. The death toll was later updated by authorities as teams continued searching damaged areas and hospitals admitted additional victims. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police subsequently verified that among the dead were 17 police personnel and six civilians. Authorities also reported damage to government and private property around the compound resulting from the blasts, gunfire, and grenade attacks.
Investigation Launched into Police Complex Assault
The Counter Terrorism Department filed a case at its Kohat police station following the assault. The initial report included charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and other offenses. The complaint states that the attackers drove an explosives-packed vehicle toward the mosque before entering the Police Lines armed with firearms and hand grenades. Investigators have yet to identify the attackers and have begun collecting evidence from the damaged complex.
Security forces, including police personnel, confronted the assailants as the army units and Counter Terrorism Department teams moved through the premises. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later announced that the clearance operation had concluded after security forces killed all eight attackers. The teams also secured the Special Branch section, where gunmen had entered during the attack. Authorities completed searches of the main buildings and surrounding areas before ending the operation and reopening access for investigators and emergency responders.
Friday Prayers Disrupted by Explosions and Gunfire
The assault targeted one of Kohat’s primary police facilities while officers and worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. The explosion damaged the mosque area and created a large crater near the blast site. Gunfire persisted after the vehicle detonated, as attackers advanced deeper into the compound. Security teams then carried out room-to-room searches across the Police Lines before the authorities declared the site secure on Saturday.
The group Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the police case names unidentified attackers and does not specify individual suspects publicly. The Counter Terrorism Department continues its investigation into the bombing, gunfire, and grenade assaults as part of the case. Meanwhile, police work to identify the dead attackers and document casualties and property damage throughout the Old Police Lines complex.