Kohat Attack: An Organized Global Conspiracy to Strike Pakistan’s Internal Security
(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
The recent cowardly attack on the Police Lines in Kohat—a peaceful and strategically significant district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—is part of a deep-seated and organized international conspiracy aimed at dealing a severe blow to Pakistan’s internal security; the threads of this plot once again lead back across the border to Afghanistan.
This attack in Kohat is, in fact, a consequence of the utter disarray and desperation caused among elements across the border by the recent blows security forces have dealt to the *Khwarij* (renegade extremists) at the frontier. Just last month, 15 Afghan terrorists attempting to infiltrate via the Ghulam Khan border were killed. At the same time, forces also took timely action at the Shawal and Kurram borders to eliminate these nefarious elements.
The total death toll from the horrific suicide car-bomb attack on the mosque at the District Police Headquarters (Police Lines) in Kohat has reached 31—including 15 police personnel—while over 100 people have been injured.
On Friday, as police personnel, their families, and civilians were gathering in the mosque for Friday prayers, a speeding vehicle laden with explosives was rammed into the mosque’s entrance. The resulting massive blast caused a large section of the mosque building and its roof to collapse, burying dozens of worshippers under the rubble.
The savagery displayed by the terrorists at the Police Lines mosque has fully exposed the true face of the *Khwarij*—who claim to be waging a war between disbelief and Islam—to the entire world. The courage and bravery with which security forces eliminated all eight terrorists and concluded the clearance operation is certainly a source of pride; however, the sensational revelations emerging from the subsequent Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) investigation have sounded a major alarm for our diplomatic and defense strategies.
According to security sources, the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the Kohat Police Lines mosque has been identified as Matiullah, an Afghan national. The fact that a foreign national managed to infiltrate one of Pakistan’s most sensitive security installations to carry out a suicide bombing reinforces the bitter, long-standing reality that Afghan soil continues to be used as a launchpad for terrorism against Pakistan.
This incident serves as a wake-up call for those who were singing praises of peace upon the Taliban’s interim government taking power in Kabul. Immediately following the blast, rescue teams and Pakistan Army contingents arrived at the scene to initiate relief operations. Heavy machinery was employed to retrieve individuals trapped under the rubble, and the injured were promptly shifted to nearby hospitals. Responsibility for this cowardly act was claimed by “Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen,” a splinter group of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The President, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have strongly condemned the attack, terming it a nefarious plot to sabotage law and order in the country. The international community, including Saudi Arabia, has also strongly condemned this terrorist attack and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives. The reality is that, in blatant violation of the Doha Agreement, the Afghan Taliban regime has not only turned its territory into a haven for militants of *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* (TTP) but is also patronizing their recruitment, the supply of state-of-the-art NATO weaponry, and formal training. In this cowardly attack, 23 precious lives—including 17 police personnel ranging from constabulary ranks to senior leadership, as well as six innocent civilians—attained martyrdom. The martyrs include valiant officers of SP, DSP, and Inspector ranks who sacrificed their lives fighting on the front lines rather than leaving their men behind. Even the Additional IG of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personally commanded the entire operation from the front and was himself wounded in the attack. These sacrifices demonstrate the iron resolve of our law enforcement agencies—a resolve against which all the nefarious designs of terrorists crumble to dust. Pakistan’s military leadership and the Director General of ISPR have repeatedly presented the truth to the world: that the Kabul administration has completely failed to honor its international commitments. Today, it is not just Pakistan; the UN Security Council and global media are also loudly proclaiming that more than 20 terrorist organizations are operating openly within Afghanistan. UN Security Council President Cristina Marcus Lassen and Fu Cong, the representative of the global power China, have also stated unequivocally in Security Council meetings that the escalating activities of ISIS and *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* in Afghanistan have become a “time bomb” for the security of the entire region. The time has come for Pakistan to review its policies. The time for diplomatic protests has passed; we must now take decisive measures—in collaboration with China and other regional nations—to tighten surveillance of the Afghan border fence, enforce the strictest visa and biometric policies for Afghan citizens, and ramp up international pressure on Kabul. The blood of the martyrs of Kohat demands that we completely eradicate this menace.Terrorists launched an attack utilizing suicide bombers and units equipped with modern weaponry. Following the initial blasts, the attackers took up positions within the Police Lines complex and the Special Branch building, prompting a heavy deployment of security forces to cordon off the entire area. Security forces demonstrated great professionalism during the highly complex and sensitive clearance operation, which continued into Saturday. The terrorists had adopted a strategy of seizing the buildings and attempting to inflict maximum casualties, but the forces’ organized siege prevented them from advancing further. By the end of the operation, all the terrorists had been killed. According to the police, some of the terrorists managed to breach the Special Branch building but were eliminated there in close-quarters combat. The intensity of the operation’s command is evident from the fact that the Additional IG of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personally supervised the action from the front lines and was wounded while fighting the terrorists. More than 100 people were injured during the attack and the subsequent operation; many remain in critical condition and are undergoing treatment at various military and civilian hospitals. Immediately following the attack, the Counter-Terrorism Department and sensitive agencies initiated geo-fencing and forensic investigations. These investigations have yielded crucial and irrefutable findings indicating that the planning and the command-and-control hub for the entire attack were located in Afghanistan. According to intelligence and security sources, the suicide bomber who blew himself up inside the Kohat Police Lines mosque has been identified as Matiullah, a confirmed Afghan national. He entered Pakistan from across the border and was deployed specifically to strike this target. Security agencies are currently working to identify the second deceased terrorist through rigorous forensic analysis and database checks. This revelation confirms that *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* (TTP) and other proscribed organizations are not only trading in Pakistani lives while operating from Afghan soil but are also equipping individuals with suicide vests and infiltrating them into Pakistan. The attack in Kohat is not an isolated incident; rather, it is part of a continuing pattern of infiltration attempts along Pakistan’s western border. In recent months, security forces have successfully dismantled numerous *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* networks and thwarted major infiltration bids through intelligence-based operations. At the Ghulam Khan border, 15 terrorists crossing from Afghanistan were killed last month, and a large infiltrating cell was eliminated. In Shawal (South Waziristan), five terrorists were neutralized by security forces during an infiltration attempt, foiling a plot to penetrate the interior via Waziristan. At the Kurram border, the movement of *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* elements was detected in time, and they were halted at the border itself, demonstrating the effectiveness of border management and intelligence sharing. Following these successive failures, the terrorists—acting out of desperation—attempted to target security installations in densely populated urban districts like Kohat, perceiving them as “soft targets.”
The spokesperson for the Pakistan Army, the Director General of ISPR, has explicitly stated in multiple press conferences and official statements that the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan has completely failed to honor its international commitments. Under the Doha Agreement, the Afghan Taliban were obligated not to allow their territory to be used for terrorism against any other country; however, the reality on the ground is quite the opposite. The Afghan Taliban regime is providing safe havens to the militants of *Fitna-ul-Khawarij*. Not only are recruits being inducted into these terrorist ranks, but they are also being supplied with state-of-the-art US and NATO weaponry—equipment left behind during the withdrawal of forces. Formal training camps for the *Khawarij* have been established on Afghan soil, serving as bases where they plan attacks against Pakistan and receive operational guidance. Pakistan’s stance is not merely a unilateral claim; it has been corroborated by reports from United Nations (UN) monitoring teams and international think tanks. The global community acknowledges that more than twenty international and regional terrorist organizations are active under the aegis of the current Afghan government, posing a threat to peace not only in Pakistan but across the entire region. Grave concern has been expressed internationally regarding this matter: United Nations Security Council (UNSC): In an official statement, UNSC President Christina Markus Lassen urged the Afghan Taliban government to immediately dismantle terrorist training centers operating from its territory and to halt all financial and logistical support for them. China’s Stance: China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, stated unequivocally during a Security Council meeting that the escalating activities of groups like ISIS-K (ISKP) and *Fitna-ul-Khawarij* in Afghanistan pose a grave threat—akin to a ticking time bomb—to regional security, and that the interim government must launch a severe crackdown against them. Regarding future strategy and security challenges, it has become evident to Pakistan’s security and political establishment—following the Kohat attack—that they must now move beyond diplomatic statements and adopt a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy. In this context, the following measures have become imperative. Tightening surveillance of the fencing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and mandating a strict visa policy and biometric verification for the movement of Afghan citizens into Pakistan. Intelligence Integration: Accelerating intelligence sharing among the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police, and military agencies to root out the local sleeper cells and facilitators of *Fitna-ul-Khawarij*.
Forming a joint regional bloc with China, Russia, and Central Asian states to increase international pressure on the Afghan interim government, thereby compelling Kabul to launch a campaign against terrorists.
While the Kohat Police Lines mosque incident is a source of profound grief for the Pakistani nation and its security forces, it also stands as a testament to the unwavering resolve of our security agencies. The identification of the suicide bomber as an Afghan national, Matiullah, has exposed the true nature of the international network intent on weakening Pakistan. Pakistan has sacrificed over 80,000 lives in the war against terror, and the blood of the 23 martyrs of Kohat will not go in vain.
There is an urgent need to demonstrate solidarity on the domestic front and crush all networks of *Fitna-ul-Khawarij*, while the international community must hold the Kabul administration accountable and ensure it stops providing sanctuary on its soil to elements that stab their neighbors in the back.
