Peshawar (The COW News Digital) At least 16 people, including five police officers, were killed and over 40 others injured in a suicide attack at the Old Police Lines mosque on Peshawar Road in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The attack occurred during Friday prayers when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the mosque premise, followed by another assailant blowing himself up near the Special Branch building. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi reported that over 60 rescue personnel alongside 20 ambulances from Kohat, Karak, and Hangu responded to the site to evacuate victims to local hospitals.
Following the explosion, a group of seven armed militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij attempted to infiltrate the Police Lines complex. Police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel engaged the attackers in a tactical gunbattle, neutralizing six militants, including a sniper and the suicide bombers. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed stated that security forces have initiated the final stages of a clearance operation, affirming the police force’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the province.
