Kohat Police Lines Attack: FIR Registered After 22 Killed, 103 Injured

PESHAWAR: A case has been registered over the deadly attack on Kohat’s old Police Lines, with the FIR describing how militants used an explosives-filled vehicle, opened fire and threw grenades during the assault.

According to police, the FIR was registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station on the complaint of the SHO of Kohat City police station. Unknown militants have been booked under several sections related to terrorism, murder and attempted murder.

The FIR states that militants, referred to by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij, carried out a suicide attack by driving an explosives-laden vehicle into the Police Lines mosque. After the explosion, the attackers opened fire and entered the compound while shooting at security personnel.

The attack involved a suicide bombing, gunfire and grenade attacks. The violence left 22 people dead and 103 injured, while government and private property was also damaged.

Among those killed were 16 police personnel and six civilians. Dr Israel Khan Orakzai, chief district specialist at Liaquat Memorial Hospital, was also among the victims. Hospital officials said 73 of the injured were police personnel, while 30 were civilians.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid told Geo News that the attack started when an explosives-filled vehicle crashed into the gate of the old Police Lines and exploded.

Following the blast, intense firing broke out. Another suicide explosion took place near the Special Branch building during an exchange of fire between militants and security forces.

The explosion badly damaged part of the mosque and caused a wall to collapse. Rescue teams rushed to the area to evacuate the injured, while Kohat’s District Headquarters Hospital declared an emergency.

Security forces later launched an overnight clearance operation inside the Police Lines. Elite Force commandos, CTD teams and other security personnel took part in the operation and cleared several parts of the compound.

The Central Police Office said eight militants were killed during the operation. Security sources said the Pakistan Army joined the operation after Fajr prayers and killed the final two suicide attackers hiding inside the compound.

In a separate incident, militants opened fire on a police post at the main gate of Kohat district courts and damaged the post. No casualties were reported. Authorities later closed nearby offices and courts and increased security checks at the city’s entry and exit points.

Pakistan criticises Kabul

The Kohat attack has also increased tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban over militant groups that Islamabad says are operating from Afghan territory.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the attackers had roots in Afghanistan and accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to take credible and verifiable action against militant groups.

Islamabad said it had repeatedly raised concerns about alleged terrorist sanctuaries, recruitment networks and support structures in Afghanistan, which it says are being used to plan attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistan has called on the Afghan Taliban to dismantle these networks and take “credible, verifiable and sustained” steps against militant sanctuaries, recruitment and training networks.

The ministry also acknowledged Kabul’s condemnation of the Kohat attack and its sympathy for the victims’ families. However, Pakistan said such statements should be followed by practical action.

The Afghan Taliban has rejected Pakistan’s allegations about militant sanctuaries.

The attack comes amid a wider increase in militant violence in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan among the areas most affected.