2026 Kohat attack
Attack on a police complex in Kohat, Pakistan
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On 18 September 2026, armed insurgents attacked and occupied the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, Pakistan. After an initial attack on the complex's mosque, a battle and clearance operation then continued for about 22 hours, resulting in the death of at least 31 people and injuries to 103 others.[1]
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Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| 2026 Kohat attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war | |
CCTV still frame of the car bomb exploding outside the mosque | |
| Location | 33°35′22″N 71°25′52″E Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Date | 18–19 September 2026 13:15 (PKT; UTC+5) |
| Target | Old Police Lines complex |
Attack type | |
| Deaths | 31 (including 8 attackers) |
| Injured | 103 (4 critical) |
| Perpetrator | Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan |
| Defenders |
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It is the second attack on the Old Police Lines complex; it had previously been targeted in a suicide car bombing on 7 September 2010 that resulted in 20 deaths and over 90 injuries. It is the deadliest attack against a police complex in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the 2023 bombing of the Peshawar Police Lines mosque.[2]
After the attack, Pakistan significantly strengthened counterterrorism operations along the Afghan border, alleging that the perpetrators had originated from Afghanistan. Pakistan launched air strikes in retaliation for the attack, breaking a three-month lull in the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war.[3] Hostilities increased, with additional air strikes, artillery fire, and drone attacks being exchanged after supposed incursions by militants from Afghanistan.[4]
Attack
On the afternoon of 18 September, police officers and civilians were attending Friday prayers at the mosque of the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, whose Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch had participated in counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[5] At around 13:15 PKT (UTC+5:00), a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car through the gate of the police complex and into the entrance of the mosque before it exploded.[1][6] Gunfire broke out when at least seven heavily armed militants with hand grenades, sniper rifles, and other weaponry launched an assault on the complex,[7] taking up positions in the complex's Special Branch building.[8][9] During the engagement with security personnel, a suicide bomber detonated himself near the Special Branch building.[10][11]
Militants also targeted a police post at the main gate of Kohat's district courts, damaging it but causing no casualties. All offices and district courts near the Old Police Lines complex were then closed as authorities declared an emergency and implemented additional security measures.[12][13]
On the morning of 19 September, the Pakistan Army deployed and a joint operation was initiated to clear the remaining militants who had hidden themselves within the complex, utilising drone technology to monitor the militants' movements.[7] The militants were eventually defeated by the Kohat Police, Elite Force, CTD, and Pakistan Army after about 22 hours of fighting[14][9] in which all of the attackers,[15][12] including suicide bombers and a sniper, died.[16][5]
Thirty-one people died in the attack, identified as 15 personnel, six civilians, eight attackers, and two personnel who later died of injuries.[17][14] Seventy-three personnel and thirty civilians were injured,[18] four of whom were in critical condition and required laparotomies.[19][16] Rescue 1122 provided relief efforts at the site with more than 60 personnel and 24 emergency vehicles, some from neighbouring districts.[19] Ninety of those wounded were received at DHQ Hospital Kohat while the other 13 were sent to Liaqat Memorial Hospital.[20]
The police complex was extensively damaged. The explosions created a crater outside the mosque, trapped people in rubble, caused offices to collapse, and damaged nearby structures, including government and private property.[21][16][12]
Investigation
Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari initially implicated the Pakistani Taliban, but they denied carrying out the attack.[22] Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, an alliance of Pakistani Taliban offshoots led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the attack.[6][1]
An investigation was conducted to determine the planning, supplies, training and potential links to other actors involved in the attack. On 20 September, a first information report was registered by Kohat Police with the CTD against "unidentified terrorists", charging them with terrorism, murder, and attempted murder, among other offences. Investigators believed the attackers planned for a prolonged siege at the complex for several hours.[7]
The Kohat Police, CTD, and Elite Force jointly investigated the identities of the attackers and potential links to foreign actors. Pakistani authorities claimed to have identified one of the attackers as an Afghan national named "Mutiullah", which prompted further scrutiny regarding the perpetrators' alleged links to Afghanistan.[23]
Reactions
Domestic
Asif Ali Zardari expressed "regret" over the attack, giving "his best wishes for the swift recovery of those injured in the explosion" in a statement, and called for the "complete elimination" of foreign-backed terrorists.[6] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and gave condolences to the victims. He directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations. The Ministry of Interior said that the "cowardly actions" of the attackers would not weaken "the nation's resolve."[22] Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi visited those affected by the attack and paid tribute to responders.[19][20]
International
United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that Secretary-General António Guterres "strongly condemns" the terrorist attack targeting the mosque and police complex in Kohat, saying "attacks targeting civilians and places of worship are unacceptable".[6] UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Ángel Moratinos also offered condolences and condemned the Kohat attack, saying "[p]laces of worship must remain protected spaces where people feel safe."[24]
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Countries also offered condolences and condemned the Kohat attack,[16] as did Afghanistan,[25] Australia, China, Iran,[26] Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia,[27] Turkey,[28] and the United Kingdom.[16] Pakistan rejected Afghanistan's statement, calling it a "pretence of dialogue", and demanded they act on dismantling "terrorist sanctuaries, alongside their recruitment and support infrastructure in Afghanistan" instead of "deflecting responsibility" onto Pakistan.[12][29]
Aftermath
On 19 September, Pakistan's Ministry of Information & Broadcasting accused Afghanistan of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, demanding its Taliban government take "credible, verifiable and sustained measures" to dismantle militant sanctuaries and terrorist recruitment and training networks on its soil, warning they have the "will and the capability to eliminate terrorist threats wherever they are".[30][29][12]
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry of the Pakistan Army declared that the Taliban's inaction constituted a violation of the Doha Accords, which required the Taliban to prevent terrorist groups from being hosted in Afghan territory. Asserting Pakistan's "right to defend itself", he warned that Pakistan was "left with no other option" than to take any necessary steps to resolve the issue if the Taliban did not comply. Afghanistan denied the accusations, threatening "retaliatory action" and a "crushing response" if Pakistan violated Afghan sovereignty.[31][32] Aziz Maraj, a former diplomat, suggested that Afghanistan should file a complaint to the International Court of Justice to protect "Afghanistan's dignity and reputation" against Pakistani defamation should Pakistan fail to provide evidence of the Afghan involvement. [33]
On 20 September, a Pakistani Security Forces convoy attacked a group of terrorists supposedly "belonging to Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij" in a “well-planned intelligence-based ground operation” in Kohat, Hangu, and Thal. Nine of the terrorists and six Pakistani personnel died in the exchange and a number were injured.[34][35] Similar intelligence-based operations continued in the region, with six terrorists killed and nine suspects "belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan" being arrested in Saran Tangi, Balochistan under Operation Shaban-2 on 22 September.[36]
On 21 September, Pakistani fighter jets launched air strikes on eastern Afghanistan, breaking a three-month period of reduced conflict. Pakistani strikes landed in Nurgal District at about 3:00 and in Barmal District at about 4:00. Afghan officials reported that strikes in Barmal destroyed a grocery store and an empty house in the Rakhah and Tor Kandi areas with no casualties, while strikes in Nurgal hit a family home, killing three and injuring four family members.[37][38] The casualties were verified by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, who simultaneously reported that "a man, woman and a girl were killed and four injured in apparent strikes".[3][39] Pakistan denied attacking civilians, claiming the buildings were militant hideouts and that the strikes perfectly hit their targets with "[m]aximum precautions" against collateral damage;[40] targets purportedly included a suicide bomber training centre and weapons depot, killing 28 militants and multiple suicide bombers according to Pakistani authorities.[35] Afghanistan condemned the air strikes as acts of “aggression and criminality”, alleging the Pakistan Air Force carried them out as a distraction from Pakistan's security failures, and vowed retaliation.[41] The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and handed him a formal protest.[42]
On 22 September, it was reported by Pakistani officials that several Pakistani Taliban militants attempted to cross the border at Kurram from Nangarhar and Paktia in Afghanistan. After being identified by Pakistani troops, the militants and Afghan Army reportedly began firing mortars and heavy weapons on Pakistani checkposts unprovoked. In retaliation, Pakistani troops launched multiple artillery strikes on Afghan checkposts and defensive positions, supposedly causing several to flee their posts as a result.[4] Afghanistan denied that such an attack occurred.[43]
On 23 September, eight rudimentary drones were launched from Afghanistan and entered Pakistani airspace but were shot down over Torkham and Kohat by Pakistani air defences and armed forces.[44] In retaliation, Pakistan carried out ten "deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate" air strikes on Afghan military sites in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost at around 3:30 on 24 September, claiming they were used to store and launch drones.[45] The air strikes killed at least four civilians according Afghan officials. Afghanistan denied launching the drone attacks and called the strikes "indiscriminate and cowardly", vowing to deliver an “appropriate response”.[46][47]