KOHAT: Security forces and police have killed all eight terrorists involved in the attack on the Police Lines in Kohat district, officials said.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police, terrorists attempted to enter the Police Lines following a blast at the Old Police Lines Mosque. Police and security forces launched a retaliatory operation and killed all eight attackers.
Security sources said the clearance operation was directly supervised by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Kohat.
Pakistan Army commandos, security personnel and the Bomb Disposal Squad took part in the operation and cleared the area before handing it back to the police, the sources added.
KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed visited the blast site and received a briefing from senior officials on the operation.
The IGP later met the GOC Kohat, Regional Police Officer (RPO), District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat and other officers and personnel deployed at the site. He praised their efforts and announced rewards for those who participated in the operation.
“We are determined to foil the nefarious designs of Fitna-al-Khawarij,” the IGP said.
At least 23 people, including 17 police officials and six civilians, were killed, while 103 others were injured after a suicide bomber targeted a mosque inside the Kohat Police Lines during Friday prayers, officials said.
Following the initial explosion, several terrorists reportedly stormed the Police Lines and opened indiscriminate fire.
The Kohat District Health Officer said late Friday that more than 100 people had been injured, most of them police personnel, with several in critical condition.
Some of the injured were later shifted to Peshawar for further medical treatment.