Pakistan police complex attack: eight militants killed as 21-hour clearance operation ends, death toll rises to 23
Sucide attack at Kohat police lines mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Image courtesy: Screen grab via X.com/@im__Arshu
New Delhi: An overnight clearance operation at the Old Police Lines in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in northwestern Pakistan, concluded on Saturday after around 21 hours, with eight militants killed. The death toll from Friday’s attack has meanwhile risen to 23, including 17 police personnel and six civilians.
Elite Force commandos, teams from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security forces cleared key areas of the complex during the operation. Dawn reported that the clearance was carried out under the supervision of senior provincial and district police officers.
Arab News separately quoted the Kohat district health officer, Dr Nasir Hussain Afridi, as confirming the revised toll of 23 after two more bodies of police personnel were brought to hospital. The number of injured stood at 103.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general, Zulfiqar Hameed, remained at the scene during the operation. The clearance was led by the CTD additional inspector general, the Kohat regional police officer and the district police officer, while the Kohat general officer commanding was also present.
The CTD additional inspector general suffered a hand injury in a grenade attack while supervising the operation. A CTD statement cited by Dawn said the militants had entered the special branch building after the explosion near the mosque. The officer received first aid and returned to the frontline to continue overseeing the clearance.
After the operation, Hameed commended the personnel involved and announced rewards for participating officers, according to the police statement cited by Dawn.
Friday’s assault began during prayers, when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near the mosque at the Old Police Lines before armed attackers entered the compound, which houses police, CTD and special branch offices. As RNA Media reported on Friday, the initial confirmed toll then stood at 16 dead and more than 50 injured.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Dawn. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), however, denied involvement in a statement, Reuters reported.
In a fresh response on Saturday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, Sohail Afridi, visited the injured and bereaved families, and directed officials to ensure medical care for those wounded.
