16 killed, 50 injured, in suicide blast at mosque in Pakistan's Kohat district in KPK
Peshawar, Sep 18 (UNI) At least 16 people, including five police officers, were killed and more than 50 injured after a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near a mosque, followed by terrorists storming the compound and attacking police facilities, in Kohat district of Pakistan's north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hamid told Geo News that an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the Old Police Lines before the blasts. "The vehicle hit the gate and then exploded, and firing also took place," IGP Hameed said. The KP IGP said that another suicide blast occurred at the Special Branch building during the exchange of fire with terrorists. A handout from IG Hamid said the explosion occurred at a mosque at Kohat Police Lines. It added that initial reports suggested an explosive-laden vehicle was rammed into the building. In a later statement, he said that a suicide bomber detonated himself near the Special Branch building, adding that an exchange of fire was underway with 'Fitna al Khawarij' terrorists.
"The operation will continue until the complete elimination of Fitna-ul-Khawarij," the IG was quoted as saying, adding that the police's morale remained high. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. At around 3:30pm, police said the clearance operation was "in its final stages". The statement detailed that seven terrorists had attempted to infiltrate Police Lines after the explosion. "So far, six terrorists, including a suicide bomber, have been killed," the statement said. Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorism since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) engaged the attackers and killed six of them - including a suicide bomber and a sniper. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police identified the dead as 11 civilians and five police officers. Provincial Police Chief Zulfiqar Hameed said 16 people had been killed in the suicide blast. Kohat District Hospital's senior official, Tahir Ali Shah, said 15 bodies had been brought to the facility along with more than 50 injured people. The explosion left a crater outside the mosque inside the police compound. An organisation called Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group, an alliance of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, was formed in April 2025. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his condolences and wished those injured a swift recovery. PM Shehbaz also condemned the incident, while directing authorities to provide every possible facility to the affected people. He also sought a report from the relevant authorities regarding the nature and causes of the blast. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi extended condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the blast and sought a report from police officials. CM Afridi condemned the incident, describing the act of terrorism as "extremely regrettable and unacceptable".
