Fallen Kohat police officers laid to rest as KP governor vows justice after deadly ambush

Police personnel killed in a militant ambush in Pakistan’s northwestern Kohat district were laid to rest, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi paying tribute to the fallen officers and praising their courage, bravery, and dedication to duty.

Kundi attended the funeral prayers alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed, expressing solidarity with the bereaved families and assuring them of the government’s full support during their time of grief.

Addressing attendees, the governor said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa owed an enduring debt to the sacrifices of their police force, vowing that their blood would not go in vain and pledging that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.

How did deadly ambush unfold in Darabo Kach?

According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, at least 11 police personnel were killed and 12 others injured when a joint contingent of police officers and local civil administration officials came under heavy militant fire while returning from an enforcement operation against illegal gold mining in the Darabo Kach area near Kohat.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tehsil Gumbat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtar Ahmed were among the officers killed in the assault.

Police stated that the assailants, allegedly acting at the behest of local criminal syndicates, ambushed the returning vehicles in the Darabo Kach Jalandhar Banda area between Kohat and Karak, setting five police vehicles ablaze.

Police personnel returned fire and repulsed the assault in an intense gun battle, killing 18 militants during the exchange.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jawad Afridi told The Nukta that 12 injured personnel were shifted to a hospital in Kohat, noting that emergency response teams faced significant logistical hurdles reaching the site due to its remote location and rugged, mountainous terrain.

The ambush occurred one day after the Kohat deputy commissioner imposed a 60-day ban on parking excavators near placer gold mining blocks and restricted the open sale of fuel in an effort to curb unauthorized extraction.

What did police leadership say about militant-criminal nexus?

Speaking after the funeral, IGP Zulfiqar Hameed alleged that criminal networks and militants—designated by authorities as Fitna al-Khawarij—have forged organized operational links with the backing of foreign elements, describing the coordinated ambush as direct evidence of their collaboration.

Hameed stated that the militants had no connection with Islam or Pakistan and were working alongside illegal mining mafias to pursue shared financial and destabilizing objectives.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police vowed to launch decisive operations against both the militant groups and the criminal syndicates allegedly operating with foreign support, warning that their facilitators would not be spared and that unlawful mining activities would not be tolerated.

In Islamabad, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the ambush and paid tribute to the fallen officers.

Security forces have cordoned off the surrounding hills in Kohat and launched a large-scale search and clearance operation to track down fleeing assailants and local facilitators.