The week under review (18–24 September) witnessed a sharp escalation in militant violence across Pakistan, with the number of attacks doubling to 60 from 30 in the previous week, while fatalities increased by 58.7% to 73 and injuries surged by 560% to 132. Kidnappings also increased substantially, rising from three to 16. Balochistan remained the principal theatre of militant violence, accounting for 36 attacks, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 15, the former FATA with seven and Sindh with two. The increase in violence was accompanied by a broader geographic spread and a significant rise in attacks targeting security personnel and installations, indicating renewed militant pressure across both Balochistan and KP.
The most significant incident during the week was the 18 September attack on the Old Police Lines in Kohat, where militants employed a complex combination of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, armed infiltration, gunfire, grenades and suicide attacks. The assault, which occurred during Friday prayers, resulted in at least 23 fatalities and more than 100 injuries in initial reports, with police personnel accounting for a substantial proportion of the casualties. Eight militants were killed during a prolonged clearance operation. Subsequent CTD investigation has reportedly traced the network behind the attack and indicated that two militant organisations coordinated the attack, whose primary objective was allegedly to storm the facility and free associates detained in the CTD compound. Investigators also found that the attackers had stayed at a safe house in Kohat before the assault and recovered evidence from the location.
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