Death toll from Pakistan bomb attack rises to 31 - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban. (AP: Muhammad Sajjad)

At least 31 people have been killed and dozens wounded in an attack on a mosque near police offices in Pakistan.

A vehicle bomb exploded at the mosque in Kohat, north-western Pakistan, as gunmen stormed the compound and exchanged fire with officers.

Militant violence near the Afghanistan border has surged, with Pakistani Taliban militants increasingly targeting police and other security forces as the government intensifies operations against them. 

A vehicle bomb has exploded at a mosque near police offices in north-western Pakistan as gunmen tried to storm the compound in an attack that killed at least 31 people and wounded 100 others, police and rescue officials say.

Among those killed and wounded were 16 police officers attending prayers at the mosque.

Local militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a faction linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — the Pakistani Taliban — has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The coordinated assault is the latest in a surge of militant violence near the border with Afghanistan, where Pakistani Taliban militants have increasingly targeted police and other security forces as the government intensifies operations against them.

The bombing occurred in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

An attacker apparently rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque, said Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief.

At least seven armed gunmen also attempted to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers.

Six of the gunmen were killed, according to police, who said one suicide bomber attacked the nearby office of an intelligence agency.

The police compound housed counter-terrorism police, who had carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years.

Most of those killed were police officers, hospital officials said. Bilal Faizi, a senior rescue official, said most of the dead and wounded had been attending prayers at the mosque.

Dozens were wounded in the attack on the mosque. (AP: Muhammad Sajjad)

Residents said the exchange of fire has continued hours after the coordinated attack.

A police official told AFP under condition of anonymity that fighting was ongoing.

"Several militants are still holed up in the Special Branch section of the Kohat Police Complex," the official said.

"An exchange of fire with them has been ongoing since late last night. Their exact number remains unclear." 

Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties. He directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations.

The attack was the latest in a surge of militant violence near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. (AP: Maaz Awan)

The attack comes a day after a roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in the north-western Hangu district and killed six soldiers.

Government troops also conducted raids in various areas Thursday, local time, and killed 10 militants believed to be members of the Pakistani Taliban, the military and police said.

The Pakistani Taliban has stepped up attacks on police and civilians in recent years. In 2023, a suicide bomber killed 101 people in an attack inside a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The group 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.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained high since Pakistan targeted alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan in 2025. The strikes triggered border clashes, prompting Qatar and Türkiye to mediate a ceasefire. China later facilitated peace talks, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

Friday's bombing came a day after Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency reported Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Mr Sharif, Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and intelligence chief Lieutenant General Asim Malik.

Mr Kalin said Türkiye would continue to make efforts to help resolve the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, the news agency reported.

The Turkish intelligence chief also met with the government in Afghanistan. Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, said Thursday that top officials in Kabul held talks with Mr Kalin and a senior Qatari security official. The talks addressed tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.