Pakistani security forces ended a roughly 22-hour standoff at the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat on Saturday after a militant attack that began during Friday prayers. The death toll from the assault, which involved a car bomb, suicide bombings, and gunmen storming the facility, reached 31, including 16 police personnel, according to senior police officials.

The attack targeted the district-level police headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which houses offices of the Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch. An explosives-laden vehicle rammed the entrance to a mosque inside the compound where officers and their families were praying. Gunmen then breached the perimeter, leading to an extended firefight.

Eight attackers were killed during the clearance operation, and more than 100 people were injured, with several in critical condition. The facility sustained significant damage from the blasts.

Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, an alliance linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the operation. Pakistani authorities have pointed to cross-border militancy from Afghanistan as a factor in the recent surge of attacks in the region.

This incident marks one of the deadliest strikes on a police complex in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent years, highlighting ongoing security challenges in the province bordering Afghanistan.