KOHAT, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – According to Pakistani officials, 23 individuals lost their lives in the assault on the Old Police Lines in Kohat on September 18, with 17 police officers and six civilians among the victims. The assault was initiated during Friday prayers when an explosives-laden vehicle was driven close to the mosque within the compound, after which armed gunmen infiltrated the premises and began shooting. Emergency services from Rescue 1122 transported the injured to nearby hospitals while security personnel cordoned off the area and initiated a clearance operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police reported that eight attackers were killed as security forces conducted a thorough search of the site overnight. The clashes persisted within several buildings until the authorities secured the complex on Saturday. The Old Police Lines functions as the district police headquarters and houses the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch. Police officials stated that after the initial explosion, the assailants reached different sections of the compound and exchanged gunfire with security forces during the ongoing operation.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, confirmed that emergency responders recovered 23 bodies and treated 91 injured individuals at the scene. As search efforts continued through damaged areas and hospitals received additional victims, authorities revised the casualty figures. Later, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police verified that among the dead were 17 police personnel and six civilians. Authorities also reported damage to government and private properties surrounding the complex resulting from the blast, gunfire, and grenade attacks.
Investigation Launched Following Police Compound Assault
A case was filed at the Kohat police station by the Counter Terrorism Department following the attack. The initial report includes charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and related offenses. The document states that the assailants drove a vehicle packed with explosives toward the mosque area before entering the Police Lines armed with firearms and hand grenades. Investigators have not identified the attackers and have begun collecting evidence from the damaged site.
During the operation, police officers faced the attackers as army units and Counter Terrorism Department teams moved through the premises. Later, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police announced that the clearance operation ended after security forces eliminated all eight assailants. The teams also cleared the Special Branch section, where gunmen had entered during the attack. Authorities completed searches of the main buildings and surrounding areas before reopening the site to investigators and emergency responders.
Friday Prayers Disrupted by Explosion and Gunfire
The assault targeted one of Kohat’s primary police facilities during Friday prayers, as officers and worshippers gathered inside the mosque. An explosion caused a large crater near the blast site and inflicted damage to the mosque structure. Gunfire persisted after the vehicle explosion as the attackers moved deeper into the complex. Security forces then undertook extensive room-to-room searches across the Police Lines, eventually declaring the area secure on Saturday.
The Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the police case records unidentified suspects and does not specify individual names publicly. The Counter Terrorism Department continues to investigate the bombing, gunfire, and grenade assaults linked to the case. Post-operation, authorities also focused on identifying the dead attackers while documenting casualties and property damage across the Old Police Lines complex.