Pakistan Police Compound Attack: Death Toll Rises To 31, Including 16 Cops; Over 100 Injured

New Delhi: The death toll from a suicide attack and gun assault on a police compound in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 31, including 16 police personnel, a senior police official said on Saturday. More than 100 people have also been injured in the attack, with several reported to be in critical condition.

The attack took place on Friday afternoon at the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, where officers, their families and other worshippers had gathered at a mosque for Friday prayers. An attacker drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the compound, striking the wall near the mosque and triggering a powerful blast.

Following the explosion, armed attackers entered the police complex and exchanged fire with security personnel. The facility houses important police units, including the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Special Branch.

According to senior police official several militants remained inside the Special Branch section of the complex on Saturday, with an exchange of fire continuing. The exact number of militants still inside was not immediately clear.

Earlier reports had put the death toll at 21, with the number rising as rescue operations continued and some critically injured victims succumbed to their injuries. Around 80 injured people had initially been taken to hospitals, according to reports.

The attack caused extensive damage to the mosque and surrounding police facilities. Visuals from the scene showed sections of the compound damaged by the blast, while rescue workers and civilians were seen helping the injured and searching through debris.

According to earlier police accounts, multiple attackers were involved in the assault. Reuters reported that all seven attackers were killed in the explosion and subsequent gun battle, although a later police account indicated that militants were still holed up inside the compound as the clearance operation continued.

Responsibility for the attack has been disputed in early reports. Pakistani local news reported that the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen claimed responsibility, while some reports claim another group, Inqilabi Islami Pakistan, which is described as affiliated with al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent.

The attack comes amid heightened militant violence in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan regions. Islamabad has repeatedly accused militants of operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, while the Taliban government in Kabul has denied the allegations.

Pakistani authorities have launched rescue and security operations at the site as the fighting continued. The latest casualty figures remain subject to change because several injured victims are in critical condition.

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