Pakistan police compound attack death toll rises to 31

Key facts

• The death toll from an attack at a police compound in northwest Pakistan has risen to 31.
• At least 16 police personnel were among the dead.
• More than 100 people were injured.
• The attack involved a suicide bomber ramming an explosives-laden car into the facility.
• Gunmen also opened fire after the car bomb explosion.
• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan denied responsibility for the attack.

The death toll from a suicide attack at a police compound in northwest Pakistan has risen to at least 31, including 16 police personnel, according to reports from AFP and Reuters citing police officials. More than 100 people were injured in the incident that occurred on Friday.

The attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into the police facility in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as officers and their families were praying in a mosque within the compound. Gunmen also engaged in a gun battle following the explosion. All seven attackers were killed, according to police.

Militancy has increased in Pakistan's border regions in recent months, with the military and police being primary targets. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the region's main militant group, issued a statement disowning the attack. Islamabad claims militants use safe havens in Afghanistan to plan attacks, a charge denied by Afghanistan's Taliban government.