Death toll in Pakistan police compound bombing climbs to 24
13:20, 19/09/2026, SaturdayU: Update: 13:27, 19/09/2026, Saturday
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Security officials inspect the site of a blast at a mosque near the Old Police Lines in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18, 2026. At least 16 people, including 11 civilians and five police officers, were killed and over 50 others wounded in a suspected suicide bombing targeting a police compound in northwestern Pakistan during Friday congregational prayers, officials said. The death toll from a suicide bombing targeting a police compound in northwestern Pakistan has risen to 24 after three more officers succumbed to wounds overnight, as officials confirmed civilian casualties and a separate strike on a Special Branch facility elsewhere in the province.
The death toll from a suicide bombing targeting a police compound in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province rose to 24 on Saturday after three more officers succumbed to wounds sustained during Friday prayers, a senior hospital official said.
Vehicle-borne assault
The explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the Old Police Lines compound in Kohat district as worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, creating a crater outside a mosque within the facility. Police reported that six assailants, including the suicide bomber, were killed in the coordinated assault that targeted officers at prayer. Tahir Ali Shah, the top official at Kohat District Hospital, confirmed the updated casualty figures, noting that 18 of the deceased were police officers while six were civilians.
Diplomatic condemnation
In a separate incident within the same province, another suicide bomber struck a Special Branch police building during an exchange of gunfire, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's police chief. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi condemned the assault on the police compound, stating on X that Afghanistan "deems attacks on holy places an unjustifiable and condemnable act, and expresses its profound sympathy with the families of the victims of this tragic incident."
Counter-operations
Pakistani security forces killed seven militants in two operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The raids occurred as authorities continue operations against militant networks following the deadly Kohat attack.