The death toll from the attack on a mosque inside a police compound in Kohat, in north-western Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has risen to 22, with 103 injured, after initial reports said 11 people had been killed and 30 others injured. The attack took place on 18 September 2026 at the Old Police Lines headquarters in Kohat, as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers.
Officials said a vehicle packed with explosives struck the compound wall near the mosque, causing an explosion that heavily damaged the building and surrounding facilities. Hospital officials’ data showed that those injured included 73 police officers and 30 civilians.
Clashes inside police compound leave attackers dead
Ninety injured people were taken to Kohat District Hospital, while Liaquat Memorial Hospital received 13. Several critical cases were also transferred to hospitals in Peshawar for treatment. Police said at least seven gunmen attempted to enter the compound after the blast and headed towards the buildings housing the Counter-Terrorism Department and the Special Branch.
Clashes broke out inside the facility and continued for hours, while forces carried out a search operation to locate the attackers and secure the buildings. Police said security forces killed six of the attackers, including a suicide bomber, while another gunman was trapped inside the compound during the operation. They said the attackers used firearms and grenades as they attempted to advance inside the headquarters under cover of the initial blast.
Rescue team officials said most of the victims were police officers and civilians who had attended prayers at the mosque. The blast caused parts of the compound’s outer wall to collapse and severely damaged the mosque, while residents and rescue workers helped clear the rubble and transport the injured.
Attack victims and rubble-clearance operations
Those killed included police officials and government employees, among them traffic police officer Akbar Shinwari, as well as a medical official at Kohat Hospital. Funeral prayers were later held for the police officers killed, before their bodies were taken to their home areas in Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Mardan. The Ittehad Mujahideen group, linked to armed commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistani authorities use the name Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to refer to one of the main armed groups active in areas near the Afghan border. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested a report from the relevant authorities on the attack and ordered rescue operations to be expedited and treatment provided to those injured.
President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the attack, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered urgent medical care for the wounded and a detailed investigation into the circumstances. Police and security forces were deployed at the scene, closing off the area around the compound during search and investigation operations.
Previous attack on Kohat police compound
The Kohat police compound was the site of a previous attack in 2010, when a remotely controlled bomb detonated near a police colony, killing 20 people and injuring more than 90 others.
