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Pakistani troops stand guard near a collapsed police headquarters building in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northwestern Pakistan, on Sept. 18 local time. / Yonhap

A terrorist attack involving a car bomb and gunfire at a police headquarters in northwestern Pakistan left at least 31 people dead and more than 100 injured.

According to AFP and other reports on Sept. 19 local time, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into an area near a mosque inside the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the previous day and exploded. Armed militants then stormed the compound, triggering a gunbattle with police.

At least 31 people were killed, including 16 police officers, while more than 100 others were injured. Police officers and their family members were reportedly praying inside the mosque at the time.

Local police later launched a clearance operation, killing eight militants, and said the operation had been concluded.

The attack was reportedly claimed by Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a militant group linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP, however, issued a statement denying responsibility.

The Pakistani government has attributed a recent series of militant attacks in the country’s northwest to groups with links to Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered support for the victims.

                                                                                                               Kim Min-ju