Islamabad, Sept. 19 (SANA) The death toll from a bombing and gun attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan has risen to 31, including 16 police officers, a Pakistani police official said Saturday.
“At least 31 people, including 16 police officers, have been killed and more than 100 wounded so far in the armed attack and suicide bombing,” the official told AFP, adding that fighting was continuing.
The official said several attackers remained holed up inside the Special Branch section of the police complex in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Exchanges of fire had continued since late Friday, while the exact number of attackers remained unclear.
The attack began Friday afternoon at the historic police headquarters in Kohat. The complex houses the district police headquarters as well as offices of the Counter Terrorism Department, Special Branch and several other police units.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of the initial reports Friday. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed regret over the casualties and stressed the need to eliminate terrorist groups.
The attack came after five Pakistani police officers were wounded in a grenade attack on a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Aug. 23.
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