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Kohat Police Complex Attack (September 2026)
A suicide bombing and gun assault on a police headquarters in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed at least 31 people including 16 police officers in September 2026, reflecting escalating militant violence in northern Pakistan.
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## Overview
A suicide bomber and gunmen attacked the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, a town of around 220,000 in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on September 18-19, 2026 (SCMP, September 19). An attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into the complex while gunmen stormed the compound as officers and their families were praying in a mosque (SCMP, September 19).
## Casualties
At least 31 people were killed, including 16 police personnel, according to a senior police official, with fighting still ongoing as of Saturday (SCMP, September 19).
## Context
The attack fits a pattern of escalating militant violence against Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan that has seen a resurgence of attacks attributed to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated groups. This is part of a broader wave of security incidents in Pakistan, including prior attacks on Rangers facilities in Karachi, occurring against a backdrop of deteriorating Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and ceasefire breakdowns.
## Why It Matters
The scale of casualties and the targeting of a police headquarters underscore the deteriorating security situation in northern Pakistan, with implications for Pakistan's internal stability, its role as a US-Iran diplomatic mediator, and regional counterterrorism cooperation.