Kohat Mosque Attack Kills at Least 21, Including 15 Police, as Militant Alliance Claims Blast
The Kohat mosque attack on Friday, September 18, 2026, killed at least 21 people, 15 of them police officials, and wounded more than 100. An explosives-laden vehicle was detonated at a mosque inside the old Police Lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as prayers were under way, and gunmen then stormed the compound. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen claimed responsibility. Police said an operation to clear the compound lasted about 21 hours.
What happened at Kohat Police Lines during Friday prayers
According to Dawn's reporting, the vehicle exploded near the mosque and attackers then entered the compound and fired on police facilities. The provincial police chief, Zulfiqar Hameed, described it as a suicide bombing. The blast badly damaged the mosque, and an outer wall of the police...