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At least 16 people, including five police personnel and 11 civilians, were killed and more than 50 others injured in a suicide attack near a mosque at the old Police Lines in Kohat district of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday.
The attack took place during Friday prayers, when police personnel, their families and other worshippers had gathered at the mosque, according to police officials.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the old Police Lines before exploding. Gunmen accompanying the attacker then opened fire, triggering an exchange of fire with police, Reuters reported.
Police said another suicide blast occurred at a Special Branch building during the gun battle. Six attackers were subsequently killed, according to the Central Police Office in Peshawar.
The blast severely damaged the mosque and nearby structures, while a wall collapsed. A large crater was also reported outside the mosque.
District Headquarters Hospital medical superintendent Tahir Ali Shah said 15 bodies and more than 50 injured people had been brought to the facility. The hospital declared an emergency following the attack.
Rescue teams transported the injured to hospitals, while authorities closed the Kohat-Hangu Road and deployed additional security personnel around the area.
The attack was initially unclaimed. Later reports said Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, an alliance of three militant groups, claimed responsibility. The reported claim could not immediately be independently verified.
The alliance was reported to have been formed in 2025 and includes the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, according to media reports.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has experienced repeated attacks by militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban and other armed organisations. The latest attack comes amid heightened militant violence in Pakistan’s border regions.