KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – The death toll from the September 18 attack on Kohat’s Old Police Lines has risen to 23, including 17 police personnel and six civilians, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and Rescue 1122. The assault began during Friday prayers when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque inside the police complex. Armed attackers then entered the compound and opened fire. Rescue teams moved scores of wounded people to hospitals as security forces sealed the area.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said security forces killed eight attackers during the clearance operation, which continued overnight into Saturday. Officers cleared key buildings after gun battles inside the compound. The Old Police Lines complex serves as a district police headquarters and houses the Counter Terrorism Department, Special Branch and other police units. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said attackers reached parts of the complex after the initial blast and continued firing from inside the premises.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi said teams transported 23 bodies and 91 injured people to hospitals after the attack and operation. The casualty count changed several times as responders searched damaged sections of the compound and hospitals treated victims. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later identified 17 of the dead as police personnel and six as civilians. Police also reported damage to government and private property around the site.
Police register terrorism case after Kohat assault
The Counter Terrorism Department registered a first information report at its Kohat police station after the attack. The case includes terrorism, murder, attempted murder and other charges. The complaint says attackers used a vehicle loaded with explosives to strike the mosque area, then fired weapons and threw hand grenades while entering the Police Lines. The department registered the case against unidentified attackers and began examining evidence from the compound.
The report says police personnel confronted the attackers as army units and Counter Terrorism Department teams moved into the complex. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later announced that the clearance operation had ended and eight attackers were dead. Security teams also cleared the Special Branch section, where gunmen had entered during the assault. The operation ended after authorities secured the main buildings and searched the compound for remaining threats.
Mosque attack followed by extended security operation
The attack struck one of Kohat’s main police facilities during Friday prayers, when officers and other worshippers were gathered at the mosque. The blast damaged the mosque area and created a large crater near the point of impact. Gunfire continued after the explosion as attackers moved deeper into the complex. Security personnel then conducted room-to-room searches before declaring the operation complete on Saturday.
Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the assault. The police FIR, however, was registered against unidentified attackers and does not publicly name individual suspects. The Counter Terrorism Department has continued its investigation into the bombing, gunfire and grenade attacks. Investigators also recorded damage to government and private property within the Police Lines area after the attack. Police said identification work on the attackers continued after the clearance operation, while the registered case covers terrorism, murder and attempted murder.