A vehicle bomb exploded at a mosque near police offices in Kohat, north-western Pakistan, killing at least 21 people and injuring 80 others as gunmen exchanged fire with officers. Among those killed were police officers attending prayers. This attack follows a surge in militant violence near the Afghan border, primarily targeting security forces amid intensified government operations against militants. The Pakistani Taliban is suspected but has not claimed responsibility; last year, a similar attack in Peshawar resulted in 101 deaths.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
At least 21 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.
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gunmen → kill → 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.
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government → surge → 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 21 people and wounded 80 others, police and rescue officials say.
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officials → explode → others
Among those killed and wounded were police officers attending prayers at the mosque.
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officers → kill → mosque
The coordinated assault was 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.
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government → target → them
The bombing occurred in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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bombing → occur → Pakhtunkhwa
An attacker apparently rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque, said Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief.
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Hameed → ram → mosque
At least seven armed gunmen also attempted to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers.
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gunmen → attempt → officers
Six of the gunmen were killed, according to police, who said one suicide bomber attacked the nearby office of an intelligence agency.
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bomber → kill → agency
The police compound housed counter-terrorism police, who had carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years.
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who → house → years
Most of those killed were police officers, hospital officials said.
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officials → kill → those
Bilal Faizi, a senior rescue official, said most of the dead and wounded had been attending prayers at the mosque.
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most → say → mosque
Residents said the exchange of fire continued hours after the coordinated attack.
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exchange → say → attack
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties.
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Sharif → condemn → casualties
He directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations.
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He → direct → operations
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.
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suspicion → claim → Pakistan
The attack comes a day after a roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in the north-western Hangu district and killed six soldiers.
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bomb → come → 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.
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military → conduct → Taliban
The Pakistani Taliban has stepped up attacks on police and civilians in recent years.
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Taliban → step → years
In 2023, a suicide bomber killed 101 people in an attack inside a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
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bomber → kill → province
The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan's Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.
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which → ally → 2021
Pakistan often accuses Kabul of sheltering the TTP and turning a blind eye to cross-border militant attacks.
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Pakistan → accuse → attacks
The government in Kabul has denied the allegations.
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government → deny → allegations
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained high since Pakistan targeted alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan in 2025.
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Pakistan → remain → 2025
The strikes triggered border clashes, prompting Qatar and Türkiye to mediate a ceasefire.
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strikes → trigger → ceasefire
China later facilitated peace talks, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
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sides → facilitate → 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.
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Kalin → come → Sharif
Mr Kalin said Türkiye would continue to make efforts to help resolve the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, the news agency reported.
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agency → say → dialogue
The Turkish intelligence chief also met with the government in Afghanistan.
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chief → meet → 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.
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officials → say → Kalin
The talks addressed tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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talks → address → Afghanistan
The Aporia
