By Ahmed J Versi
London, (The Muslim News): At least 21 people were killed and more than 100 wounded on Friday when a vehicle packed with explosives struck a police compound in northwestern Pakistan, according to local officials and multiple media reports.
The dead included 15 police personnel and six civilians. The attack occurred at about 1:20 p.m. during Friday prayers at a mosque inside the Old Police Lines compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Hospital officials said 103 injured people were taken to two medical facilities. They included 73 police personnel and 30 civilians. Several patients required abdominal surgery, while some of the critically wounded were transferred to larger hospitals in Peshawar.
Among those killed were senior traffic police officer Akbar Shinwari and Dr. Israel Khan Aurakzai, a pediatric specialist at a hospital in Kohat.
Attackers storm police compound
Police said the assault began when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near the compound’s boundary wall and mosque, leaving a crater and causing extensive structural damage.
Between five and seven armed attackers then entered the compound and moved toward buildings used by the Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch, according to accounts provided by police and health officials.
Security personnel killed at least six attackers, including a suicide bomber, during an exchange of gunfire. Officials later said the attackers had been eliminated as security forces conducted a clearance operation throughout the compound.
Rescue 1122 deployed 14 ambulances and more than 45 personnel to the scene. Television footage showed residents and emergency workers searching through rubble, carrying the wounded and gathering near a partially collapsed building.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Pakistani news reports.
Leaders condemn bombing
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault. Zardari said eliminating terrorist groups was essential to Pakistan’s national security, while Sharif requested a formal report and ordered authorities to accelerate rescue and relief operations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi described the targeting of police personnel and civilians as “deeply regrettable and unacceptable.” He directed hospitals to provide immediate treatment and transfer critically injured patients when necessary.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said such attacks would not weaken Pakistan’s determination to confront terrorism. Funeral prayers for the 15 police personnel were held in Kohat, after which their bodies were transported to their home districts.
International reaction
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the bombing and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
“Attacks targeting civilians and places of worship are unacceptable,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, adding that those responsible should be brought to justice.
Diplomatic missions representing the United Kingdom, China and Russia also condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with those affected.
The bombing highlights the continuing security threat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where police and other security forces have repeatedly been targeted by militant groups. In 2010, a bombing in a police residential colony near the same Kohat compound killed 20 people and wounded more than 90.
[Photo: People gather around a damaged mosque following a suicide bombing targeting a police compound in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18, 2026.Photojournalist: Mohamud Ismail Kulane/AA]
