At least 21 people have been killed and about 80 others injured in a coordinated attack targeting a mosque near a police compound in northwestern Pakistan.
The attack occurred during Friday prayers in Kohat, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on September 18, 2026. Most of those killed were police officers, according to officials quoted by the Associated Press.
Initial reports placed the death toll at 16, including five police officers, before authorities reported additional fatalities.
Police said an attacker drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the compound’s outer wall while officers and their families were gathered for prayers.
The explosion was followed by an attempted assault by armed men, triggering a gunfight with security personnel.
Seven attackers were reportedly killed during the explosion and the ensuing confrontation, although accounts differed on how many were shot by police.
The blast caused extensive damage to the mosque and nearby buildings.
Emergency teams transported the injured to hospitals in Kohat, where several patients were reported to be in critical condition.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to determine whether other attackers had escaped. Authorities were also investigating how the vehicle reached the heavily guarded police facility.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the TTP, publicly denied involvement, according to Reuters.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing and directed authorities to provide medical treatment to those injured. The country’s Interior Ministry also denounced the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has experienced repeated attacks targeting police officers, soldiers and government installations.
Pakistani officials have accused armed groups of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, an allegation denied by the Taliban-led government in Kabul.
The Kohat attack comes amid heightened security concerns following other deadly incidents in the region.
Security agencies are expected to increase surveillance around police stations, mosques and other potential targets as investigations continue.
