Militants kill at least 31 in 20-hour assault on Pakistan police compound

Assault on the Kohat compound

The coordinated attack began on Friday afternoon when an assailant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into an outer wall and mosque at the Old Police Lines compound in Kohat, a city of approximately 220,000 residents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The blast occurred during Friday afternoon prayers, bringing down portions of the perimeter and causing heavy structural damage to the mosque. The complex serves as district police headquarters and houses critical offices for the Counter Terrorism Department and the Special Branch intelligence agency, alongside residential quarters for counterterrorism officers who have conducted operations across the province. Immediately after the detonation, armed militants entered the complex to confront security personnel.

The 20-hour standoff

Following the breach, several militants took up defensive positions inside the Special Branch intelligence building, triggering a prolonged firefight with police and responding military forces. Gunfire and intermittent blasts echoed through the facility overnight as security personnel sealed off the perimeter and deployed reinforcements. On Saturday morning, two militants detonated explosive vests inside the compound before tactical units cleared the remaining wings. Kohat police official Mohammad Sadiq confirmed that the standoff concluded after 20 hours, with security forces recovering the bodies of eight attackers, including the suicide bombers. Late on Friday, funeral prayers were held at the compound for fallen officers before their bodies were returned to families for burial.

Casualties and group responsibility

The assault left at least 31 people dead, according to police officials, with early casualty counts recording 16 police officers and seven civilians among the fatalities. More than 100 people were injured, with local health authorities in Kohat confirming that 103 wounded individuals were admitted, many in critical condition and predominantly consisting of police personnel. An alliance known as Ittehad-ul Mujahideen Pakistan, commanded by militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the operation in a statement on Friday. Bahadur, a longtime commander from North Waziristan who previously fought United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has re-emerged as a prominent insurgent figure. An August United Nations report identified regional Al Qaeda affiliates as the operational backbone of Bahadur's network.

“At a time when terrorist violence is at near record levels across western Pakistan, Bahadur and his group represent an increasingly formidable challenge for already stretched security forces.”

Regional border tensions

The raid in Kohat reflects an intensifying wave of militant violence across western Pakistan, where over 800 citizens, soldiers, and police officers have been killed in attacks this year. Pakistani authorities frequently accuse the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering militant leaders and permitting cross-border raids from Afghan territory, accusations that Afghan authorities deny. The dispute prompted Pakistani cross-border strikes into eastern Afghanistan in June, which the United Nations reported killed dozens of civilians. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari issued statements condemning the Kohat attack, while police spokesman Zulfiqar Hamid praised the defending officers and confirmed that service rewards would be granted to personnel involved in the operation.