Pakistani authorities have confirmed that the bloody encounter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kohat district has ended after claiming a total of at least 31 lives, including eight terrorists. The attack occurred at the mosque located near the old Police Lines in Kohat, around 60 kilometres southwest of Peshawar.
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.
The terrorist attack near Kohat district’s old Police Lines resulted in the deaths of 17 police personnel and six civilians before all attackers were neutralised, Pakistani media reports quoted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police sources as saying.
The attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the gate of the old police lines, triggering an explosion, Later, another suicide blast occurred at the Special Branch building during the exchange of fire with terrorists.
An overnight counter-attack involving Elite Force commandos, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) teams, and security forces was launched after a two-pronged attack by the terrorists caught the police department defenceless.
The confirmation regarding the operation's conclusion was made after several parts of buildings that were reportedly held by the attackers were cleared. The terrorists reportedly managed to take up positions inside the Special Branch building after the suicide attack near a local mosque. It is said that around 100 people were injured in the incident that shocked Pakistan.
SP Traffic Akbar Shinwari and the head of the paediatric department at DHQ Hospital Dr Israel Orakzai were among those killed in the attack, which targeted police facilities. Several Special Branch and CTD officials were killed in the attack, while CTD Additional IG was injured in a grenade attack, Dawn said in a report. Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack, the report added.
Most of those killed and injured were police personnel offering Friday prayers at the mosque, rescue officials said.
