PESHAWAR: Police said on Saturday that an overnight clearance operation following the deadly two-pronged assault near a mosque in Kohat district’s old Police Lines had been completed, saying that a total of eight terrorists were killed.
After detonating an explosives-laden vehicle near a mosque in old Police Lines during Friday prayers, terrorists stormed the compound and attacked police facilities, martyring at least 21 and injuring over 100.
The death toll rose to 23 on Saturday, including 17 policemen and six civilians, police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials confirmed.
In an official handout, KP police said on Saturday that eight terrorists were killed in retaliatory action by police and security forces.
It said that the operation had concluded, adding that Elite Force commandos, CTD teams, and security forces had cleared key parts of the buildings.
According to the statement, KP Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed was present at the scene. It added that the operation was led by the CTD additional IG, the Kohat regional police officer and the Kohat district police officer. It said that the Kohat general officer commanding was also present.
“Law enforcement agencies achieved success following an overnight operation,” it said.
The statement said IG Hameed commended the officers who participated in the operation and announced rewards for them.
“Police, CTD, and security forces fought valiantly; these brave personnel are the pride of the nation,” he said.
“The terrorists’ nefarious designs have been thwarted, and we will ensure their complete elimination,” he said.
A CTD statement earlier said that its additional IG was injured in a grenade attack by terrorists during the operation. According to the statement, the terrorists had entered the Special Branch building after the suicide attack on the mosque.
The statement said the CTD additional IG had been on the frontline since Friday afternoon, supervising the ongoing operation against Fitna al-Khawarij along with police personnel.
The state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
It said the additional IG sustained a hand injury in a grenade attack carried out by the terrorists during the operation. After receiving first aid, he returned to the frontline to supervise the operation and boost the morale of the personnel, the statement added.
While the KP police stated the number of terrorists killed as eight, a statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi put it at seven.
In the statement, Naqvi paid tribute to the security forces for eliminating “all seven” attackers.
The interior minister said he was proud of all the brave personnel who participated in the operation.
He added that the martyrs of the blast set the “highest example of duty by sacrificing their lives” and their sacrifices will be remembered.
Relief efforts conclude
Rescue 1122 also completed its relief and rescue operation on Saturday, with 24 vehicles — including ambulances, rescue vehicles and recovery vehicles — taking part in the efforts.
In a statement, Rescue 1122 said Kohat District Emergency Officer Noorul Amin Khattak monitored the rescue operation, in which more than 60 personnel took part.
Rescuers and vehicles from other districts, including Karak and Hangu, also assisted in the relief efforts.
Seven of the injured were referred to Peshawar for further treatment, with five of them taken to Lady Reading Hospital and two to Hayatabad Medical Complex.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi noted that the personnel effectively conducted the relief and rescue efforts in “extremely tough, sensitive and dangerous conditions” while demonstrating excellent professional skills.
‘Pakistan has will, capability to protect its citizens’
The Ministry of Information strongly condemned the terrorist attack on civilians and police officials offering Friday prayers in Kohat, saying Pakistan had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban over the use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups to plan and carry out attacks inside the country.
In a statement, the ministry said the presence of terrorist sanctuaries and recruitment and support networks in Afghanistan posed a direct threat to Pakistan’s security. It said these concerns had repeatedly been conveyed to the Afghan Taliban regime and its interlocutors, urging them to dismantle the networks instead of deflecting responsibility.
The ministry also criticised Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid for threatening Pakistan with a “crushing response”, saying the Afghan Taliban should address the terrorist networks operating under their patronage. It said Pakistan had noted the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ condemnation of the Kohat attack and expression of sympathy for the victims’ families, but regretted that the statement did not mention terrorism.
The ministry said condemnation should be accompanied by “concrete action”, calling on the Afghan Taliban to take credible, verifiable and sustained measures to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries and disrupt recruitment and training networks.
“Pakistan has both the will and the capability to eliminate terrorist threats wherever they are and will take all necessary measures, in accordance with international law, to protect its citizens, territory and sovereignty.”
It added Pakistan remained committed to dialogue and constructive engagement but would take all necessary measures, in accordance with international law, to protect its citizens, territory and sovereignty, and urged the international community to press the Afghan Taliban to take action against terrorist groups.
KP CM visits injured, bereaved families
Separately, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi visited those injured in the blast and the families of those martyred, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan said.
CM Afridi directed the relevant authorities to provide the wounded with the best possible medical facilities, and extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
“He assured the affected families that the government stands with them and they will be provided with every possible support during this difficult time,” the statement said.
CM Afridi had sought a detailed report on the incident on Friday, saying the targeting of innocent citizens was “deeply regrettable and unacceptable”.
“The nation’s morale cannot be dampened by cowardly acts of terrorism,” he had said in a statement issued by his office following the blast.
The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen.
Funeral prayers for 15 of the martyred police personnel were offered in Kohat on Friday evening, after which their bodies were transported to their native districts of Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mardan in Rescue 1122 ambulances.
Among the slain were SP Traffic Akbar Shinwari, head of the paediatric department at DHQ Hospital Dr Israel Orakzai, and Special Branch and CTD officials.
It may be recalled that in 2010, 20 people, mostly relatives of policemen, were killed and more than 90 injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast inside a police colony located just behind the Kohat Police Lines. The explosion had taken place in Ramazan during Iftar.
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