Kohat police HQ attack ends after 20 hours of siege

Inside Kohat Police Lines, a mosque filled with worshippers was struck when a car bomb exploded at the gate, triggering a violent melee that echoed through the police complex⁹. By nightfall, eight militants had been killed and the rest were holed up in the Special Branch section as security forces pressed a clearance operation, with the toll climbing to 31 and more than 100 injured^9,11.

The attackers, linked to Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, surged into the compound after the blast, freed detainees, and exchanged fire with officers, while authorities blamed Afghan-linked militant networks for the broader violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa^9,21. Across the region, officials noted similar spikes in militant activity, including recent strikes near Hangu and other districts, as Pakistan sought to justify its counterterrorism push^3,23.

By Saturday, Pakistani forces reclaimed the premises after a roughly 20 to 22 hour operation, killing additional militants and rescuing others as the complex stood scarred and littered with rubble^9,11,16.

The siege drew wide condemnation from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders, who pledged rapid rescue work and a firm response to the threat posed by groups like TTP and its local affiliates, signaling a renewed emphasis on policing, intelligence, and joint counterterrorism efforts across the region^14,21.