Dozens killed in mosque blast, militant clashes in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A blast near a mosque in Kohat has killed at least 15 people and injured more than 50 others, while six Pakistani soldiers and 10 militants have been killed in separate clashes in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The explosion occurred during Friday prayers near a mosque in the Police headquarters of Kohat, according to the Pakistani police.

District Headquarters Hospital Medical Superintendent Tahir Ali Shah reported that 15 bodies and more than 50 injured people had been brought to the hospital following the blast.

Police said the explosion caused a crater outside the mosque, while the outer section of the building and a nearby wall were damaged.

Rescue teams were deployed to the site, and authorities closed the Kohat-Hangu Road to traffic as additional police personnel were sent to the area.

The nature of the blast was still being investigated, but initial reports suggested that a vehicle loaded with explosives had been rammed into the Police HQ premises.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said an exchange of fire with armed militants followed the explosion

Meanwhile, six Pakistani soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device attack on a security forces convoy in Hangu district on Thursday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

The attack was among several security incidents reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday and Thursday.

In a separate intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan, Pakistani security forces killed six militants following an exchange of fire at a suspected hideout.

Four other militants were killed in a separate clash with Pakistani security forces in Hangu district, according to the military.

The ISPR said security forces also recovered a quantity of weapons, ammunition and other equipment from the militants.

The military described the slain militants as members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the Pakistani authorities refer to as “Fitna al-Khawarij.”

Dozens killed in bomb attack targeting Pakistani train station

A terrorist railway station attack leaves at least 24 dead in Quetta, Pakistan.

The incidents come amid continued militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a region bordering Afghanistan that has faced repeated attacks on security forces and civilians.

Pakistan maintains that TTP operates from Afghan territory with the support and patronage of Afghanistan’s Taliban.

The dispute has also contributed to repeated armed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, including renewed hostilities in June, 2026, when Afghanistan said it had carried out strikes on militant hideouts inside Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire on February 26–27, 2026, after Afghanistan launched attacks against Pakistani military positions in response to Pakistani airstrikes on targets in eastern Afghanistan.

The two countries also witnessed heavy border clashes in October 2025, with fighting beginning on October 12 and a ceasefire reached on October 19 following mediation by Qatar and Turkey.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk