Pakistan: Kohat Suicide Attacks Death Toll Rises to 31, More Than 100 Injured

Peshawar (Terror Monitor) — The death toll from a suicide car bombing near a mosque in a police lines compound in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and subsequent attacks targeting police facilities in Kohat district has risen to 31, including 16 police personnel, officials said Saturday. More than 100 people were injured in the attacks.

Dr. Nasir Hassan Afridi, a district health official, confirmed the deaths and said three of the injured were in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could increase further.

Witnesses said the explosion was so powerful that it was heard from a considerable distance. Television footage showed civilians pulling people from the rubble and helping the wounded. The blast severely damaged a mosque and nearby buildings, while the wall of one building completely collapsed.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid said the suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the entrance of the police lines, causing a powerful explosion.

He said that after the blast, several terrorists attempted to enter the compound and moved toward the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) building, but security personnel responded quickly and killed them.

According to the police chief, several other attackers attempted to move toward the Special Branch building but were also stopped by security forces.

Officials said rescue operations had been completed and the injured were transferred to hospitals in Kohat and Peshawar. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

The attack came amid a recent increase in clashes and attacks between security forces and terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The attack was claimed by a group calling itself Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan.

In 2023, a suicide bomber affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 101 people.

The TTP is a separate organization from Afghanistan’s Taliban government, although the two are widely regarded as allies. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan says the Afghan Taliban government provides safe haven to TTP fighters and has failed to take effective action to prevent attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban deny the allegations.