On September 18, 2026, shortly before Friday prayers, a VBIED detonated outside the mosque forming part of the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The blast caused extensive damage to the mosque and surrounding structures and was followed by a prolonged armed assault in which militants occupied positions in and around the complex and exchanged fire with Pakistani security forces. At least 31 people were killed, approximately half of them police personnel, and more than 100 were injured. CCTV shows the vehicle was parked beside the mosque wall and left unattended before the explosion, contradicting initial reporting that described the first phase as an SVBIED attack.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group claimed responsibility through unofficial platforms, with statements attributed elsewhere to Ansar al-Mahdi Front Khorasan, part of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network, which reported substantially higher casualty figures. Meanwhile, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan denied involvement, while the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent condemned the attack on the mosque.
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