A formal case has been registered with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Police Station in connection with the suicide attack on the mosque located inside the Old Police Lines, Kohat, in which police personnel and civilians were martyred and injured.
According to police, the First Information Report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of the Station House Officer (SHO), City Police Station Kohat. The case has been registered against unknown terrorists, with multiple provisions of the law invoked, including sections relating to terrorism, murder and attempted murder.
According to the FIR, terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij carried out the attack by using an explosive-laden vehicle to target the Police Lines mosque. The vehicle was used in the suicide attack, resulting in a powerful explosion that caused extensive damage to the mosque and surrounding structures.
Following the blast, the attackers also opened fire and launched further assaults inside the Police Lines. The FIR states that police personnel and civilians were among those martyred and injured during the attack.
The attackers reportedly used the mosque access route as an entry point to penetrate the Police Lines. After gaining entry, the Khawarij opened indiscriminate fire while attempting to advance further into the highly sensitive security installation.
Police personnel responded immediately and engaged the attackers, mounting resistance and preventing them from advancing unchecked.
Following the initial suicide attack and subsequent exchange of fire, personnel from the Pakistan Army, police and Counter-Terrorism Department reached the site to lead and support the security operation.
The FIR states that the attack involved multiple forms of violence, including the suicide bombing, indiscriminate firing and grenade attacks, resulting in significant loss of life and injuries.
Security forces and law-enforcement personnel confronted the attackers and undertook a coordinated operation to secure the Police Lines and prevent further casualties.
The response involved senior officers from the Army, police and CTD, who arrived at the scene to oversee the operation and coordinate the efforts to neutralize the threat. According to the FIR, 21 people were martyred, while a large number of others sustained injuries in the attack.
The victims included police personnel and civilians who were present in and around the Police Lines mosque at the time of the assault.
The attack also caused substantial damage to public and private property in the vicinity. The force of the explosion damaged the mosque and affected nearby structures within the Police Lines area.
The incident has been formally incorporated into the criminal investigation through the FIR, which will provide the legal basis for further investigation into the attack, the identities of those responsible and any individuals or networks involved in facilitating the assault.
The registration of the FIR marks a formal step in the investigation into the Kohat Police Lines attack. Investigating authorities will examine the circumstances surrounding the attack, identify the perpetrators and determine the wider network involved in planning, facilitating and executing the assault.
Law-enforcement agencies will also investigate the use of the explosive-laden vehicle, the route used by the attackers to enter the Police Lines and the subsequent movement and firing by the Khawarij inside the security installation.
Authorities remain focused on establishing the complete chain of events and bringing those responsible and their facilitators to justice under the law.
