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The death toll from an explosion and gun attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan rose to at least 31, including 16 police personnel, a senior police official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday.
Fighting is still ongoing more than a day after the assault began.
The terrorist attack drew condemnation from Türkiye, Iran and Afghanistan.
Attackers stormed the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, a town of roughly 220,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Friday afternoon during Friday prayers.
The compound serves as a district-level police headquarters housing key offices of the Counter Terrorism Department, the Special Branch, and several other police units.
"At least 31 people, including 16 police personnel, have been killed and more than 100 injured so far in the militant attack and suicide bombing," the police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Several militants are still holed up in the Special Branch section of the Kohat Police Complex. An exchange of fire with them has been ongoing since late last night. Their exact number remains unclear," the official told AFP.
A statement from the Kohat district health officer late Friday said more than 100 people had been injured, the vast majority police personnel, with several in critical condition.
A local terrorist group, a faction linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, cited by Pakistani media, an explosives-laden vehicle, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), detonated near a mosque at the entrance to the police compound.
A gunfight then broke out between the attackers and security forces, during which a second bomb attack occurred inside the compound.
Officials said six attackers, including a sniper and a suicide bomber, were killed during the fighting, while more than 100 people injured in the attack continued to receive treatment.
AFP images from the scene showed military personnel standing amid piles of bricks, rubble and blown-out walls, with soldiers carrying assault rifles guarding the complex, and several ambulances lining a nearby street.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack Friday evening, expressing "deep sorrow and regret over the injury of several people as a result of the blast," directing that "the best medical assistance be provided to the injured" and calling for a report into the incident.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed "regret" over the casualties and offered "best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the blast," saying: "The complete elimination of Fitna-al-Khawarij and terrorists operating with foreign backing is essential for national security," using an alternate term for the TTP.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in a statement Friday.
"We condemn the terrorist attack carried out during Friday prayers near a mosque in the city of Kohat, in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province," the ministry said.
"We pray for Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives in this heinous terrorist attack and extend our condolences to the people of Pakistan," the statement noted.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack.
Spokesman Esmail Baghaei offered condolences to the families of those killed, saying attacks on civilians and security forces have no justification, and called for regional countries to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the fight against terrorism, according to statement.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi "strongly" condemned the attack in a post on US social media platform X.
Afghanistan "deems attacks on holy places an unjustifiable and condemnable act, and expresses its profound sympathy with the families of the victims of this tragic incident," he said.
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