Kohat attack: At least 31 killed in assault on Pakistan police headquarters

Yesterday 14:30

At least 31 people, including 16 police personnel, have been killed and more than 100 others injured following an explosive attack and gun battle at a historic police complex in Kohat, northwestern Pakistan, according to Pakistani officials cited by international news agencies.

The assault began on Friday, September 18, when an explosives-laden vehicle was driven into the Old Police Lines compound during Friday prayers. The facility contains a mosque used by police officers and their families, as well as several key security units.

The initial blast was followed by an armed assault inside the compound. A second explosion was reported near the Special Branch building as security personnel engaged the attackers, according to local police authorities.

A major security complex targeted

The Old Police Lines serves as a district-level police headquarters and houses offices belonging to the Counter Terrorism Department, the Special Branch and other police units. The attack therefore struck a facility with a significant role in the region's security apparatus.

Kohat, a city of roughly 220,000 inhabitants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, lies about 60 kilometers southwest of Peshawar and relatively close to the Afghan border. Its geographic position places it within a region that has repeatedly faced militant violence.

The scale of the casualties increased sharply as rescue operations and security operations continued. Earlier reports had put the number of fatalities considerably lower, before authorities reported that the death toll had reached at least 31 on Saturday. More than 100 people were reported wounded.

No immediate consensus over responsibility

Responsibility for the assault was not immediately established in the initial reports. Several reports have pointed to militant groups operating in the region, while the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been repeatedly associated with attacks against Pakistani security forces.

Other reporting indicated that a faction linked to the TTP claimed responsibility, while Reuters reported that the TTP itself denied involvement. The competing claims underline the uncertainty surrounding attribution in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

Afghanistan remains at the center of tensions

The Kohat attack comes against a broader backdrop of worsening security tensions along Pakistan's western frontier.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused authorities in Afghanistan of allowing armed groups, particularly the TTP, to operate from Afghan territory. The Afghan authorities have rejected those accusations.

The TTP has intensified its campaign against the Pakistani state since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Attacks targeting security personnel and government installations have contributed to persistent instability in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The latest violence is therefore likely to reinforce concerns over militant activity in Pakistan's northwestern border region, while also adding another episode to the longstanding dispute between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border security.