KOHAT: Pakistan’s security forces have completed a 22-hour operation at the Kohat Police Lines following a mosque blast, killing all eight Khawarij militants involved in the attack, police said.
Security forces, including Elite Force commandos and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) teams, cleared key sections of the police complex during the operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid remained at the scene, while military officials and senior police officers supervised the operation, which continued through the night.
The operation followed a suicide blast near the Special Branch building and an attack on the mosque inside the old Kohat Police Lines during Friday prayers.
Police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) teams, backed by Elite Force commandos, cleared key sections of the police complex during the overnight operation.
Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Public Relations said one militant had been killed in a sniper engagement while the operation was still underway.
According to Kohat District Health Officer Dr Nasir Hassan Afridi, the blast and subsequent firing had killed 21 people, including 16 police personnel and five civilians, while more than 100 people were injured.
The injured included 73 police personnel and 30 civilians, who were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Kohat for treatment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid said the operation would continue until the complete elimination of militants affiliated with the group referred to by Pakistani authorities as Fitna al-Khawarij.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and directed authorities to provide the injured with immediate and best possible medical treatment. He also sought a report on the nature and causes of the blast.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief over the casualties and prayed for the early recovery of those injured.
Important editorial point: If the latest figure of all eight militants killed is from a new official statement, I would put that in the lead, while retaining the 21 deaths and 100+ injuries as the casualty background.
