At least ten police officers, including a senior official, were killed and ten others injured in a Kohat police attack on Wednesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Militants targeted the security team during an operation against illegal gold extraction in the remote Darbokach region within the Gambat tehsil.
Kohat police officials confirmed that Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Haider Zaman was among those killed in the assault. Medical officials at the local district hospital received ten bodies and ten wounded personnel following the engagement. Two critically injured officers were subsequently referred to Peshawar for specialized treatment, while eight remain under care locally.
Ambush in Difficult Terrain
The ambush took place while police forces were conducting a major operation against an nexus of criminal elements and militants involved in unauthorized gold mining along the Indus River. According to security sources, 13 personnel participating in the operation managed to return safely, while others came under heavy fire.
Emergency services reported that rescue operations faced significant delays due to the remote, mountainous terrain of Darbokach. Located roughly 40 kilometers from the Gambat tehsil center between Khushal Garh and Shakardarra, the village lacks paved roads, making travel times from Kohat city extend up to two and a half hours.
Security Response and Background
Heavy gunfire continued for an extended duration after the initial ambush before reinforced contingents of police and security forces arrived at the site. Security teams secured the area to assist rescue efforts and conduct search operations.
Local authorities noted that the stretch of land along the Indus River near Darbokach has long been a site for informal and illegal gold panning. The valuable deposits have previously sparked clashes between local armed factions, prompting repeated police raids in the area prior to Wednesday's deadly confrontation.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Kohat ke ilaqay Darbokach mein ghair qanooni soney ki mining ke khilaf operation ke dauran police par hamla hua hai. Is hamlay mein DSP Haider Zaman samait 10 police ahlkar shaheed aur 10 zakhmi ho gaye hain. Ye ilaqay dushwar guzar hone ki waja se rescue me waqt laga. Security forces ne ilaqay ko gher kar zakhmiyon ko hospital muntaqil kar diya hai.
