The April 2010 Kohat bombings were a pair of bombings that struck a center for displaced people on the outskirts of the town of Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on April 17, 2010.[1] At least 41 people were killed,[2] while another 64 more were injured.[3] The next day another suicide bombing at a police station killed 7 more and injured nearly two dozen.
| April 2010 Kohat bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in North-West Pakistan | |
 Location of Kohat District (highlighted in red) within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan | |
| Location | Kohat, Pakistan |
| Date | April 17, 2010 |
| Target | IDP camp & police station |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Deaths | 58 |
| Injured | 86 |
| Perpetrators | Lashkar-e-Jhangvi |
Bombings
April 17
The bombings happened at the Kacha Pukha camp,[4] set up for internally displaced persons that had fled the Orakzai tribal area in north-west Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.[3] The victims were among 300 people[5] queued to register for aid at the camp.[6] The suicide bombers were reported to be wearing burqas,[7] and having set off their bombs within minutes of each other.[6] Most of the victims were from Baramad Khel and Mani Khel tribes who had fled fighting in Orakzai Agency.[8]
April 18
The next day another suicide bomber attacked a police station in response to military operations in Kohat killing 7 and wounding 21. The police chief of Kohat, Dilawar Khan Bangash, said: "It was a suicide attack. The target was a police station. The bomber exploded his vehicle on the back side of the police station. These incidents are a reaction to the military operation in the tribal areas."[9]
Responsibility
A Sunni militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility.[10]
Response
In the aftermath of the bombings, the United Nations temporarily suspended operations assisting refugees in the Kohat region.[11] There are more than 200,000 internally displaced persons in the area of the incident.[12]
Pakistan's Defence Minister, Ahmad Mukhtar, called the attacks "highly barbaric and cowardly."[1]