Kohat blast used 869 kg explosives, killing 21 in police-targeted attack

Authorities in Pakistan said on Tuesday that nearly 870 kg of explosives were used in last week’s suicide blast in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which 21 people were killed, including 16 policemen.

The attack took place on September 18, when militants detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a mosque during Friday prayers and then stormed nearby police facilities. The explosion also left 103 people injured, most of them police personnel.

A bomb disposal unit later examined the blast site, collected evidence on the nature and quantity of the explosives used, and submitted a detailed report to the Central Police Office on Tuesday.

According to the report, 869 kg of explosive material was used in the blast. It said the explosion created a crater measuring about 6.6 feet by 11 feet, with a depth of 4.6 feet. The report added that a highly powerful explosive material was used in the attack and that the vehicle involved in the blast had also been identified.

After the blast, the attackers entered the old Police Lines compound and established a fortified position in the special branch block. In a clearance operation carried out after the explosion, security forces killed eight militants at the police compound.

The report said unexploded explosive material was recovered from inside the special branch building. It added that two improvised explosive devices were found on the ground floor, while a suicide vest was recovered from the first floor. The vest contained four IEDs, which were defused and recovered by security personnel.

According to the report, the area was declared safe and brought under control after the clearance operation. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the little-known Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, an alliance comprising the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Harakat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, which was formed in April 2025. Pakistan has seen a rise in terror activities in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

In all, the Kohat attack involved the use of 869 kg of explosives, killed 21 people including 16 policemen, injured 103 others, and was followed by a security operation in which eight militants were killed and additional explosive devices were recovered.