31 dead in attack at police headquarters in Pakistan
A militant attack involving an explosion and gunfire at a police headquarters in Kohat, Pakistan, has resulted in at least 31 deaths and over 100 injuries. The local Taliban faction, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the ongoing siege.
Why it matters
The attack highlights the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan's border regions and the ongoing conflict involving militant groups.
At least 31 died from an explosion and gun attack at a police headquarters in northern Pakistan, a senior police official told AFP on Saturday (September 19, 2026), with fighting ongoing.
Attackers stormed the Old Police Lines complex at Kohat, a town of around 2,20,000 people in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, on Friday (September 18, 2026) afternoon.
The police compound serves as a district-level police headquarters, housing key offices of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch and several other police units.
“At least 31 people, including 16 police personnel, have been killed and more than 100 injured so far in the militant attack and suicide bombing,” the official said.
“Several militants are still holed up in the Special Branch section of the Kohat Police Complex,” the police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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