PESHAWAR, 19 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): The security operation launched following the suicide attack on Kohat Police Lines has been completed, with police and security forces killing eight terrorists and clearing important buildings in the area, while the death toll from the attack and subsequent exchange of fire has risen to 23. According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, eight terrorists were killed during the retaliatory operation, while the terrorists who had entered the Special Branch building inside the Police Lines were also eliminated. The clearance operation was jointly conducted by the Elite Force commandos, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police and security forces, with the CTD Additional Inspector General personally leading and supervising the operation despite sustaining an arm injury from a hand grenade attack. The IG said the suicide bomber had failed to target law enforcement personnel, while the CTD Additional IG, Regional Police Officer and District Police Officer led the operation, with the General Officer Commanding Kohat also present at the site. The death toll from the suicide attack and subsequent exchange of fire has risen to 23, including an SP, DSP, inspector and several other police personnel. The attack occurred near the old Police Lines when an explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into the area, followed by another suicide attack near the Special Branch building, causing heavy damage, including to part of a mosque and a wall. Seven armed militants subsequently infiltrated the Police Lines compound, prompting police and CTD personnel to engage them in an exchange of fire, during which a militant sniper was initially killed before security forces launched a clearance operation against the remaining attackers. Officials said 103 injured people were shifted to hospitals following the explosions, with 34 remaining under treatment, while five patients underwent laparotomy procedures and four critically injured patients were referred to hospitals in Peshawar.
The District Headquarters Hospital declared an emergency, while the Kohat-Hangu Road was closed to traffic during rescue and security operations. Rescue 1122 deployed 14 ambulances, rescue and recovery vehicles and more than 40 personnel, while rescue officials recovered the bodies of two personnel from the rubble and shifted them to Kohat Hospital. Funeral prayers for the martyred personnel were also offered. IG Zulfiqar Hameed said the KP Police would continue to stand against terrorism and that such attacks would not undermine the resolve of its personnel, while announcing rewards for personnel who participated in and successfully completed the operation. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed grief over the loss of lives and injuries. President Zardari called for the complete elimination of terrorists and directed authorities to ensure immediate medical treatment for the injured, while Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to provide the injured with the best possible medical care, expedite relief operations and submit a report on the nature and causes of the attack. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi also took notice of the incident and sought a report from police authorities, directing officials to use all available resources for the treatment of the injured and arrange the transfer of critically injured patients to other hospitals where required. With the clearance operation completed, security forces have cleared the important buildings inside Kohat Police Lines and killed the terrorists involved in the attack.