KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – According to Pakistani officials, the attack on the Old Police Lines in Kohat, located in northwestern Pakistan, on September 18 resulted in 23 fatalities, including 17 police officers and six civilians. The assault was initiated during Friday prayers with an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near the mosque within the compound. Subsequently, armed gunmen entered the premises and opened fire. Emergency services, including Rescue 1122, transported the injured to hospitals, while security personnel sealed off the area and launched an operation to clear the site.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police reported that eight attackers were killed during the night-long search of the complex. The firefight persisted within several structures until security forces secured the premises on Saturday. The Old Police Lines serves as the district police headquarters and also accommodates the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch. Authorities stated that the attackers reached parts of the compound following the initial explosion and exchanged gunfire with security forces during the operation.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, said emergency teams retrieved 23 bodies and treated 91 wounded individuals from the scene. As search efforts continued and additional victims arrived at hospitals, the casualty figures were updated. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later confirmed that among the dead were 17 police personnel and six civilians. Officials also reported destruction to both government and private property around the complex, resulting from the blast, gunfire, and grenade attacks.
Terrorism Investigation Launched Following Police Complex Assault
Following the attack, the Counter Terrorism Department filed a case at its Kohat police station. The initial report included charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, among others. The document states that the assailants drove an explosives-packed vehicle toward the mosque area before storming the Police Lines with firearms and grenades. The suspects remain unidentified, and investigators have begun collecting evidence from the damaged compound.
Security personnel engaged the attackers as army units and Counter Terrorism Department teams moved through the site. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later announced that the operation concluded after all eight assailants were shot dead. The security forces also cleared the Special Branch section, where gunmen had gained entry during the attack. Authorities finished inspecting the main buildings and surrounding areas before reopening the site for investigators and emergency teams.
Friday Prayers Disrupted by Explosion and Gunfire
The assault targeted one of Kohat’s primary police installations amid Friday prayers, with officers and worshippers present. The blast caused significant damage to the mosque and created a large crater at the site. Gunfire persisted after the vehicle explosion as attackers advanced deeper into the compound. Security forces then conducted thorough searches room-by-room within the Police Lines, declaring the area secure on Saturday.
The group Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the police case lists unidentified assailants and does not publicly identify individual suspects. The Counter Terrorism Department continues its investigation into the bombing, gunfire, and grenade attacks related to the case. Meanwhile, authorities are working to identify the dead attackers post-operation, documenting casualties and property destruction across the Old Police Lines complex.