KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – According to officials in Pakistan, the assault on the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat on September 18 resulted in 23 fatalities, including 17 police officers and six civilians, in northwestern Pakistan. The attack commenced with an explosive-laden vehicle detonating near the mosque within the premises during Friday prayers. Following the explosion, armed assailants entered the site and opened fire. Emergency responders from Rescue 1122 evacuated the injured to hospitals, while security forces cordoned off the area and initiated a clearance operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police reported that eight attackers were killed during the overnight security sweep through the compound. Intense clashes occurred inside multiple buildings before the security forces secured the premises on Saturday. The Old Police Lines complex serves as the district police headquarters and is home to the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch. Authorities confirmed that after the initial blast, the attackers moved to different sections of the compound and exchanged fire with security personnel during the ongoing operation.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, stated that emergency services transported 23 bodies and 91 wounded individuals from the scene. The death toll was revised as search operations continued in damaged areas and hospitals received additional victims. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later verified that among the dead were 17 police personnel and six civilians. Reports also indicated that both government and private properties around the complex sustained damage amid the explosions, gunfire, and grenade attacks.
Counter Terrorism Department Registers Case Following Police Complex Assault
A case was opened by the Counter Terrorism Department at its Kohat police station after the assault. The initial report included charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, among others. The complaint detailed that the assailants drove a vehicle packed with explosives toward the mosque before storming the Police Lines armed with firearms and grenades. The attackers remain unidentified, and investigators have begun collecting evidence from the damaged premises.
Security personnel engaged the attackers as military units and CTD teams moved through the compound. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police confirmed that the operation concluded after all eight attackers were killed by security forces. They also cleared the Special Branch section where gunmen had entered during the assault. The authorities completed searches of the main buildings and adjacent areas before ending the operation and reopening the site for investigators and emergency responders.
Friday Prayers Disrupted by Explosion and Firefight
The assault targeted one of Kohat’s primary police facilities, disrupting Friday prayers attended by officers and worshippers. The blast created a large crater near the mosque area and caused significant damage to the mosque structure. Gunfire persisted after the vehicle explosion as the attackers pushed further into the compound. Security teams then carried out thorough searches room-by-room across the Police Lines until the site was declared 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 its investigation into the bombing, gunfire, and grenade assaults under the registered case. Meanwhile, police worked to identify the deceased attackers post-operation, and investigators documented casualties and property damage throughout the Old Police Lines complex.