KOHAT — A bomb exploded at a mosque near a police facility in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan on September 18, 2026. An explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into the mosque, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens more.

At least 16 people were killed in the attack, including five police personnel. More than 30 people were wounded in the attack, while other reports indicated that more than 50 people were reported injured. Senior rescue official Bilal Faizi stated that most of those wounded were worshippers. Some of the wounded were in critical condition following the blast.

Authorities declared an emergency at a nearby hospital to handle the influx of casualties. The explosion damaged nearby shops and homes. Footage posted on social media showed the mosque’s roof had collapsed. The search and clearance operation following the blast at a mosque in Kohat Police Lines was completed after around 20 hours, with eight terrorists killed, according to K-P Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Both a regional affiliate of the ISIL armed group and the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) are active in the region and regularly target security forces.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties. He directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations, provide medical care to the wounded and extend assistance to those affected.

Why It Matters

Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on police and civilians in recent years. The Pakistani Taliban is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in 2021. Pakistan often accuses Kabul of sheltering the TTP and turning a blind eye to cross-border militant attacks. The government in Kabul has denied the allegations.

The events described span 5 years, from 2021 to 2026. In 2023, a suicide bomber killed 101 people in an attack inside a mosque in Peshawar. The death toll in Kohat represents a fall from 101 people to 16 people — 84.2%. A roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in the northwestern Hangu district and killed six soldiers a day before the mosque attack. Government troops conducted raids in various areas on Thursday and killed 10 militants believed to be members of the Pakistani Taliban.

Timeline

Government troops conducted raids in various areas on Thursday and killed 10 militants believed to be members of the Pakistani Taliban on September 17, 2026. A roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in the northwestern Hangu district and killed six soldiers a day before the mosque attack on September 17, 2026. On September 18, 2026, an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque in Kohat Police Lines on Hangu Road in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by a terrorist attack involving around five to seven terrorists, according to an initial incident report issued by the DHQ Hospital Kohat medical superintendent and the district health officer.

What's New

Zulfiqar Hameed stated that an attacker apparently rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque.