Deadly attack on police headquarters in Kohat, Pakistan

On September 18, 2026, a suicide car bombing followed by an armed assault targeted the police headquarters in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The attack occurred during Friday prayers at a mosque located within the facility, which also houses offices for the Counter-Terrorism Department and other specialized units. Initial reports indicated 16 fatalities, but the death toll has since risen to at least 31, including 16 police officers, with over 100 people reported injured.

The operation involved a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle into the compound wall, followed by an exchange of gunfire. While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the incident, the region is known for frequent militant activity, particularly from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Authorities confirmed that at least one attacker wearing an explosive vest was killed, and reports suggest that some assailants remained barricaded within the Special Branch section of the facility as of the following day.