Eleven Pakistani Police Officers Dead After Ambush in Kohat Region

Convoy Hit From Higher Ground

Eleven law enforcement personnel lost their lives and twelve others were hurt when assailants struck a police column in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday. Among the dead were a deputy superintendent of police, Haider Zaman, and a sub-inspector, Mukhtiar, according to local police spokesman Muhammad Nauman Zeb.

The officers were moving through the Gambat area of Kohat toward a site where authorities planned to crack down on unlicensed gold extraction. Their route ran through the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area, which lies between Kohat and Karak, when the shooting began. Witnesses and officials said the gunmen fired down from the surrounding hills, catching the vehicles on open ground.

Vehicles Burned, Reinforcements Dispatched

The assault damaged several police vehicles, and five mobile units were set alight. Zeb said the attackers kept up their fire, prompting a prolonged exchange that drew in backup units. Security forces then moved to surround the area and tighten control over the surrounding terrain, while additional vehicles and a large contingent were sent to the scene.

Rescue 1122 later confirmed the death toll had reached eleven. The District Headquarters Teaching Hospital declared an emergency to handle the wounded.

Governor Calls for Accountability

Provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack as a cowardly act and offered condolences to the families of the slain officers. He requested a comprehensive report from police leadership and instructed authorities to track down those responsible and bring them before the courts. Kundi asserted that the sacrifices of these officers in confronting militancy and criminality would be remembered with pride.

Background

The ambush comes roughly a month after President Asif Ali Zardari authorised emergency rule and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which suspended the provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Federal authorities cited a deteriorating security environment and what they called the provincial administration’s shortcomings in countering terrorism. The PTI rejected that reasoning and charged that the federal government was using security concerns as a cover for targeting an elected administration.

Attacks on police in the province have become frequent. On October 8, a station house officer, Daud Khan, and a constable, Farhad, were shot dead during a patrol near the Karak-Kohat boundary. On September 28, three traffic officers were killed in Tank district when unidentified men assaulted their vehicle. Earlier, on September 25, a Counter-Terrorism Department constable was among those targeted in separate incidents across the province.

What Next

Authorities have placed the surrounding area on high alert, and investigators are expected to examine the attack as they pursue the perpetrators. The governor’s request for a detailed report suggests a formal review of police security arrangements in the region may follow.