Kohat mosque blast: 21 killed, over 100 injured in Pakistan attack
Militants detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a mosque during Friday prayers and stormed nearby police facilities in Kohat district of northwest Pakistan, killing at least 21 people, mostly policemen, and wounding over 100 others, officials said.
The blast occurred at the mosque located near the old Police Lines in Kohat, around 60 kilometres southwest of Peshawar, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Kohat Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir Shah said at least 21 people, including 15 policemen, were killed and 103 others injured in the explosions. Of the injured, 73 are policemen and 30 civilians, he added.
Among those killed was Dr Israel Khan Orakzai, Chief District Specialist at Liaquat Memorial Hospital, he was quoted as saying by Geo News.
A little-known militant group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, an alliance comprising the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, was formed in April 2025.
Most of those killed and injured were police personnel offering Friday prayers at the mosque, rescue officials said.
Video footage from the site showed the bodies of worshippers lying inside the mosque.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid said an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the old police lines, triggering an explosion, followed by an exchange of gunfire with armed militants.
"The vehicle hit the gate and then exploded, and firing also took place," Hameed said, adding that another suicide blast occurred at the Special Branch building during the exchange of fire with terrorists.
The blast occurred during Friday prayers, leaving a crater outside the mosque and severely damaging its exterior, while a wall also collapsed.
According to the Central Police Office in Peshawar, seven armed militants entered the police lines, where police and the Counter-Terrorism Department engaged them in a gun battle.
Six militants have so far been killed, including suicide bombers and snipers, the official said.
Security officials said security forces and police had cordoned off the area.
Thirteen injured were admitted at the Liaqat Memorial Hospital while 90 others were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital, where an emergency was declared, Shah said.
According to Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi, rescue teams reached the site shortly after receiving the information and launched a rescue operation.
Police said the Kohat-Hangu Road had been closed to all traffic and additional police contingents had been deployed near the police lines.
Rescue officials said nearby buildings were also damaged in the blast.
Following the blast, provincial police chief Hameed sought a report from the district's regional police officer. He directed authorities to ensure timely and best possible medical treatment for the injured.
"Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police stands as an iron wall against terrorism, and such cowardly attacks cannot weaken our resolve,” he said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident and vowed that the complete elimination of foreign-sponsored terrorists was “essential for national security”.
Sharif also sought a report on the blast from the concerned authorities. He also directed authorities to expedite relief operations, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
KPK Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the blast, saying the "entire nation stands with the security forces to eradicate terrorism.”
Provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also sought a report from the police chief into the blast.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the past few years.
