Kohat Ambush Kills 10 Police in Illegal Gold Mining Raid

Key takeaways: Ten police personnel, including a senior officer, were killed and 12 wounded when gunmen ambushed their team in Kohat after an operation against illegal gold mining. Police say 18 attackers were killed and the Pakistani Taliban claimed the attack.

Flat geometric illustration of a rugged mountain valley with a winding road and a gold shield emblem, in deep navy and gold tones — Illustration: WHAT TODAY?

Ten police personnel were killed and 12 wounded on Wednesday when gunmen ambushed their team in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as it returned from an operation against illegal gold mining. Police say 18 attackers were killed in the exchange of fire that followed.

The team, from the Gumbat area of Kohat, came under fire in the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area, between Kohat and Karak, after completing a joint operation with the local administration against placer gold mining. The attackers opened fire from nearby hilltops, and two police vehicles were set on fire during the assault, according to officials quoted by news agencies.

Among the dead were Gambat Deputy Superintendent of Police Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar, Kohat police spokesperson Muhammad Nauman Zeb said. The wounded were taken to hospitals in Kohat, where an emergency was declared at the district headquarters hospital to treat them.

Early reports from the Rescue 1122 emergency service had put the death toll at 11, before the provincial police statement confirmed 10 officers killed and 12 wounded.

Police described the attackers as members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which officials refer to as Fitna al-Khawarij, allegedly acting at the behest of criminal elements involved in illegal mining. Hours later, the Pakistani Taliban issued a statement claiming the attack.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and renewed the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism, saying Pakistan’s peace and stability “will not be compromised under any circumstances”. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the attack and expressed grief over the deaths.

A crackdown on an illegal trade

The operation was part of a wider crackdown on unauthorised gold extraction in the district. Local authorities had already moved against the trade by restricting excavators and the supply of petroleum products used in illegal mining, and police say the mining continued because of a nexus between militants and criminal groups.

The attack is the latest in a series of assaults on police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the Pakistani Taliban has stepped up attacks on security forces in recent months. The province has been under emergency and governor’s rule since October 11, and only days ago the provincial administration unveiled a new counterterrorism plan, including faceless anti-terrorism courts and Rs70 billion a year in funding for the police and the counter-terrorism department.

Why it matters

The ambush shows how closely militancy and the illegal mining economy are now linked in the province. The police were not attacked while pursuing militants in the hills, but while returning from an operation against an unlawful trade that officials say helps fund them.

It also tests the province’s new security plan within days of its announcement. The measures unveiled in Peshawar, from protected courts to better equipped police units, were presented as the answer to exactly this kind of attack. How quickly they are put into practice will now be watched closely.

What happens next

Funeral prayers and official condolences for the fallen officers followed the attack, and the provincial police have said their operations against illegal mining in the district will continue. The incident is expected to feature in the next round of security briefings in Peshawar, where officials will have to show that the new counterterrorism plan is more than an announcement.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How many police were killed in the Kohat ambush?
A: Ten police personnel were killed and 12 wounded, according to a statement from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police. Early reports from Rescue 1122 had put the toll at 11.

Q: Who were the senior officers killed?
A: Gambat Deputy Superintendent of Police Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar were among those killed, Kohat police spokesperson Muhammad Nauman Zeb said.

Q: What was the police team doing when it was attacked?
A: The team was returning from a joint operation with the local administration against illegal gold mining in the Gumbat area of Kohat district when it was ambushed in the Darbokach area.

Q: Who claimed responsibility?
A: The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, issued a statement claiming the attack hours after it happened, according to Al Jazeera. Police said the attackers acted at the behest of criminal elements linked to illegal mining.