Six policemen were killed in Kohat after firing hit a police van heading to an operation against illegal gold mining, a police spokesperson said. The attack took place in an area between Kohat and Karak, which police named as Darbokach Jalandhar Banda. Sources said the police party had gone to raid a site where illegal gold mining was taking place.
Kohat is a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province in north-west Pakistan that borders Afghanistan, and Karak is a neighbouring district.
What the police spokesperson said
The spokesperson said that more police vehicles were moving towards the scene. He said firing from the attackers, whom police described as terrorists, was still continuing at the time of the statement. Police said a large additional contingent had been requested to reach the area.
Vehicles set on fire
Sources also said that Kohat police vehicles were set on fire during the attack. This has not been confirmed in an official statement, so the extent of the damage and the number of vehicles affected are not yet clear. The figure of six deaths is the one the police spokesperson gave.
Further official updates on the casualties, the attackers and the operation are awaited.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Kohat mein ghair qanooni gold mining ke khilaf operation par jaane wali police van par firing hui, jis mein 6 police ahalkar shaheed ho gaye. Police ke mutabiq mazeed police ko ilaqe mein bulaya gaya hai. Kuch zaraye ke mutabiq police gaariyan bhi jalaai gayi hain, lekin iski sarkari tasdeeq abhi nahi hui. Ilaqe ke logon ke liye is se amn ki surat-e-haal aur sadak par police ki movement ka sawal khara hota hai.
