Death toll reaches 31 after Pakistan police compound attack

At least 31 people have been killed, including 16 police officers, in an attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan, according to a senior police official.

Militants stormed the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the afternoon of September 18, triggering an explosion and a gun battle.

The compound houses the district police headquarters, including offices of the Counter Terrorism Department, Special Branch and other police units.

More than 100 people were injured, most of them police personnel, according to the district health officer. Several of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition.

A senior police official told AFP that several militants remained inside the Special Branch section of the complex and that an exchange of fire had continued since late on September 18.

Their exact number was not known, the official said.

Local militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a faction linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Images from the scene showed soldiers with assault rifles guarding the damaged complex, while ambulances gathered nearby.

Pakistan has blamed a rise in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on militants operating from Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul denies involvement.

The accusations have contributed to tensions and armed clashes between the neighbouring countries, with Pakistan carrying out airstrikes that it says target militants on Afghan soil.

The Taliban government and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes in eastern Afghanistan in June.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned attack and called for the injured to receive the best possible medical treatment. He also ordered an investigation.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed regret over the casualties and wished those injured a speedy recovery.

He said the "complete elimination" of the TTP and militants allegedly operating with foreign backing was essential for Pakistan's national security.

By Aghakazim Guliyev