Last Updated on September 18, 2026 by YeJahan
A similar bombing in the adjacent police colony killed 20 people in 2010YEJAHAN REPORT
KOHAT (Sept 18): A devastating vehicle-borne suicide blast ripped through a mosque inside the Kohat Police Lines during Friday prayers, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 100 others, officials said.
Fifteen police officers were among the dead after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the gate near the mosque, causing a partial collapse of the structure. Following the initial explosion, a heavily armed group of terrorists stormed the high-security compound, triggering a fierce, hours-long gunbattle with law enforcement, , according to provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed.
District Health Officer Dr. Nasir Hassan Afridi confirmed 21 fatalities and 103 injuries. Rescue officials fear the death toll is likely to rise, as many of the injured remain in critical condition.
After breaching the perimeter, seven attackers split up to target sensitive installations inside. They advanced toward the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) building but were immediately neutralized. A second group attempted to infiltrate the Special Branch building.
Six of the seven terrorists, including a suicide bomber and a sniper, have been neutralized, while a clearance operation involving Pakistan Army troops remains underway. All access routes to the Police Lines have been completely sealed off.
The attack claimed the lives of two brothers, Naimatullah and Asmatullah, both serving as Station House Officers (SHOs). Other prominent casualties include Traffic SP Akbar Shinwari and Dr. Israel Orakzai, the Chief Children’s Specialist at Liaquat Memorial Hospital. Emergency medical services have shifted two of the wounded to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Peshawar and five others to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar for urgent treatment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed and the Additional IG of the Counter-Terrorism Department personally led the tactical operation on the ground. At the time of this report, several terrorists remained active inside the complex, where intermittent gunfire and explosions could still be heard.
Funeral prayers for the police officers have been offered at the New Police Lines in Kohat, with Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan and Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed in attendance.
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The Ittehadul Mujahideen, a faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the assault. State officials attributed the raid to Fitna al-Khawarij, the official government designation for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In a separate incident, the Fitna al-Khawarij terrorist group attacked the Meera Mattani checkpoint of the Mattani police station in Peshawar using a quadcopter. No casualties have been reported in that attack.
President Asif Ali Zardri, Prime Ministan Shehbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the assault in Kohat as a “cowardly act,” ordering the immediate mobilization of medical resources for the injured and demanding a comprehensive security report. The targeted compound has faced terrorism before; a similar bombing in the adjacent police colony killed 20 people in 2010.
Copyright Yejahan News Network, 2026.
