Peshawar, Sept 18: At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in a powerful suicide blast during Friday prayers at a mosque near police lines in northwest Pakistan’s Kohat district, officials said.
The blast occurred at the mosque located near the old Police Lines in Kohat, around 60 kilometres southwest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital Peshawar, they said.
According to preliminary information, an attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque premises, following which an exchange of fire with armed militants took place.
At least 16 people, including five police personnel and 11 civilians, were killed in the suicide blast, provincial Police Chief Zulfiqar Hameed said.
“The vehicle hit the gate and then exploded, and firing also took place,” he said, adding that another suicide blast occurred at the Special Branch building during the exchange of fire with terrorists.
A little-known militant group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, an alliance comprising the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, was formed in April 2025.
Citing District Headquarters Hospital’s MS Tahir Ali Shah, Geo News reported that 15 bodies were brought to the hospital along with over 50 injured following the blast.
The blast was so powerful that the roof of the mosque collapsed due to its impact, police said, adding that the blast also caused a crater outside the mosque.
Most of those wounded were worshippers. Video footage from the site showed the bodies of worshippers lying inside the mosque.
According to Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi, rescue teams reached the site shortly after receiving the information and launched a rescue operation.
He said rescue teams shifted several injured to nearby hospitals.
Following the blast, provincial police chief Hameed sought a report from the district’s regional police officer. He directed authorities to ensure timely and best possible medical treatment for the injured.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police stands as an iron wall against terrorism, and such cowardly attacks cannot weaken our resolve,” he said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident and vowed that the complete elimination of foreign-sponsored terrorists was “essential for national security”.
Sharif also sought a report on the blast from the concerned authorities. He also directed authorities to expedite relief operations, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
KPK Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the blast, saying the “entire nation stands with the security forces to eradicate terrorism.”
Provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also sought a report from the police chief into the blast.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the past few years. (PTI)
