Death toll from attack on police center in Pakistan rises to 31

The death toll from the bombing and armed attack on the historic headquarters of the Pakistani police in Kohat, in the north of the country, has risen to at least 31, including 16 police officers, according to a police official who spoke to AFP on Saturday.

The official stated, "At least 31 people have been killed, including 16 police officers, and more than 100 have been injured so far in this armed attack and suicide bombing," noting that the fighting is ongoing.

Officials mentioned that the attacker rammed a car bomb into the police facility yesterday, Friday, at a time when police officers and their families were praying inside a mosque, according to Reuters.

The bombing occurred on Friday afternoon in the grounds of the historic police center in the city of Kohat, which has a population of about 220,000, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the north of the country.

The targeted complex is the provincial police headquarters, which houses the main offices of the Counter-Terrorism Department, the Special Branch, and several other police units.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack at this time, but the area is witnessing violent acts carried out by the Pakistani Taliban.

A police official told "France Presse", requesting anonymity, that a number of attackers "are still holed up inside the special branch section of the Kohat police complex," adding that "their number is unspecified."

He added that "the exchange of fire with them has been ongoing since late last night."

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his sorrow for the casualties, extending his "wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured in the explosion."

Pakistan holds extremist groups it says are based in Afghanistan responsible for the rise in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern border province of Balochistan, but the Taliban government denies any Afghan involvement.

These accusations have sparked a sharp conflict and armed clashes between the two neighboring countries, and Pakistan has carried out airstrikes that it claims targeted militants on Afghan territory.