15 cops among 21 martyred in Kohat bomb blast: police

At least 21 people, including 15 police personnel and six civilians, were martyred and 57 others injured on Friday after an explosives-laden vehicle struck a mosque inside Kohat Police Lines, followed by an attempt by terrorists to storm police installations, Aaj News reported, citing police source.

The assault occurred during Friday prayers at the mosque near the Old Police Lines. Security personnel launched an immediate search and clearance operation following the explosion, while casualties were moved to CMH Kohat for treatment.

The KP Central Police Office had earlier reported that a suicide bomber detonated himself near the Special Branch building within the compound. The office later confirmed the toll of 21 martyred — 15 police personnel and six civilians — with the injured count at 57.

Tension persisted in the vicinity of the police lines, and residents said they heard roughly 10 explosions after the initial blast.

Police sources said the clearance operation was nearing completion, with the area sealed off and efforts underway to establish the precise cause of the explosion. The wounded, both police and civilian, remained under treatment at CMH Kohat.

Videos shared by rescuers showed the boundary wall ripped apart by the blast, and people trying to pull the wounded from the debris as ambulances arrived.

People lay on the road as others in blood-stained clothes tried to help them.

All seven attackers were killed in the explosion and the gun battle that followed, police said in a statement.

The interior ministry said the “cowardly actions” of the attackers could not weaken the “nation’s firm resolve”.

Terrorism in Pakistan’s border areas has ⁠risen sharply in recent months, targeting mainly the military and police.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has reportedly issued a statement disowning Friday’s attack.

Islamabad says terrorists use safe havens in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks in Pakistan.

According to preliminary details released by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Public Relations Director, a terrorist detonated explosives near the Special Branch building following an initial blast.

Joint forces from the KP Police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) immediately surrounded the area and engaged the attackers belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, police said.

They said security forces eliminated one terrorist sniper as well. Clearance and search operations are still underway inside the complex, they added.

Spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bilal Ahmad Faizi said more than 60 rescue personnel, along with 22 ambulances, rescue vehicles, and a recovery vehicle, participated in the operation at the scene.

President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed sorrow over the killing of innocent people in the terrorist attack.

The president expressed his best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the blast, the President House’s Media Wing said.

The president directed authorities to provide immediate and the best possible medical aid to the injured.

“The complete elimination of Fitna al-Khawarij and terrorists operating with foreign backing is imperative for national security,” he stated.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the explosion and expressed deep sorrow over the casualties caused by the incident, the PM Office reported.

The prime minister directed the authorities to provide immediate and the best possible medical treatment to the injured and prayed for their early recovery.

He also sought a report from the relevant authorities on the nature and cause of the explosion and directed them to expedite relief and rescue operations and provide all possible assistance to those affected.