KOHAT, Pakistan — The death toll from an explosion and armed attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan has risen to at least 31, including 16 police personnel, Middle East Eye reported on Saturday, citing information provided to AFP by a senior police official.
The assault began on Friday afternoon when attackers entered the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, a town with a population of about 220,000 in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fighting at the site was still continuing when the latest casualty figure was reported, according to the official.
The targeted compound functions as the district-level police headquarters. It contains important offices used by the Counter Terrorism Department, commonly known as the CTD, as well as the Special Branch and several other police units. The presence of multiple security bodies makes the site a significant centre for police operations in the district.
More than 100 people had also been injured in what was described as a militant assault involving gunfire and a suicide bombing. The available report did not provide a detailed breakdown of those wounded or specify how many were police personnel and how many were others at the complex.
The attack combined an explosion with an armed incursion into the police facility. The latest reported total of at least 31 deaths included 16 members of the police, while no further information was given about the identities or status of the other people killed.
The reported casualty count remained provisional while clashes continued. No additional details were provided about the number of attackers, their identities, or the sequence of events inside the compound. The report also did not identify any group as responsible for the assault.
Kohat is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province in northern Pakistan. The Old Police Lines complex serves several policing and security functions, bringing together district police offices and specialised units, including departments focused on counterterrorism and intelligence-related work.
Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/death-toll-pakistan-police-headquarters-attack-rises-31.