A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device reduced the Kohat police lines to rubble on Friday, killing at least 21 security personnel and wounding dozens more during Friday prayers. The blast struck near a mosque within the facility, prompting a massive rescue and clearing operation that continues amid dense smoke and structural collapse.
Sources identified the dead as including an SP-rank officer, a deputy SP, and three inspectors of the Counter Terrorism Division (CTD). Around 80 individuals, predominantly police staff, were admitted to hospitals, with many reported in critical condition. The exact number of civilian casualties remains unconfirmed as investigators sift through the debris.
Three to five gunmen, aside from the driver of the explosives-laden car, were seen exchanging fire as they attempted to breach the compound. The car rammed into the mosque’s entrance wall before detonating. Local videos circulating on social media captured the chaos, showing people fleeing for cover as the building crumbled.
While no group officially claimed the attack until late Friday, pro-IMP accounts on Telegram stated their Al Badr suicide brigade executed an 'Ishtashadi operation.' Inqilabi Islami Pakistan, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, also claimed responsibility on the same platform. The attack marks a significant escalation in violence within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.