KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – According to Pakistani officials, the assault on the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, located in northwestern Pakistan, resulted in 23 fatalities on September 18. Among the victims were 17 police officers and six civilians. The attack was initiated during Friday prayers, involving an explosives-laden vehicle positioned near the mosque within the compound. Following the explosion, armed gunmen entered the premises and started firing. Rescue teams from Rescue 1122 evacuated the injured to hospitals, while security personnel cordoned off the area and commenced a clearing operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police reported that eight assailants were killed as security forces conducted a search of the complex throughout the night. The fighting persisted within several structures until officers secured the site on Saturday. The Old Police Lines serves as the district police headquarters and also accommodates the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch. Officials stated that after the initial blast, attackers reached different sections of the compound and exchanged gunfire with security forces during the operation.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, explained that emergency teams transported 23 bodies and 91 injured individuals from the scene. Authorities updated the casualty figures as rescue efforts continued and hospitals received additional victims. Later, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police confirmed that among the dead were 17 police personnel and six civilians. Reports also indicated damage to government and private property around the complex due to the blast, gunfire, and grenade attacks.
Counter Terrorism Department investigates after police complex assault
Following the incident, the Counter Terrorism Department opened a case at its Kohat police station. The initial report included charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and related offenses. The complaint details that the attackers drove a vehicle loaded with explosives toward the mosque area before storming the Police Lines with firearms and hand grenades. Investigators identified the assailants as unknown and began gathering evidence from the damaged complex.
Police officers confronted the attackers as army units and Counter Terrorism Department teams moved through the premises. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later announced that the security operation had ended after all eight attackers were killed. The teams also cleared the Special Branch section, where gunmen had entered during the attack. Authorities finished searching the main structures and surrounding areas before ending the operation, allowing investigators and emergency personnel access once again.
Friday’s prayers disrupted by explosion and gunfire
The assault targeted one of Kohat’s key police facilities during Friday prayers, when officers and worshippers were gathered. An explosion caused significant damage to the mosque, creating a large crater at the blast site. Gunfire persisted after the vehicle explosion as attackers advanced further into the compound. Security forces then performed room-to-room searches across the Police Lines, declaring the site secure on Saturday.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen. However, the police case names the attackers as unidentified and does not specify individual suspects publicly. The Counter Terrorism Department continues analyzing the bombing, gunfire, and grenade attacks as part of the registered case. Investigators are also working on identifying the dead attackers, while documenting casualties and property damage across the Old Police Lines complex.