Ten Policemen Killed in Kohat Ambush
At least ten police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police and a sub-inspector, were killed when gunmen ambushed a police team in Kohat’s Gambat area on Wednesday. The Kohat police ambush took place during a raid against illegal gold mining, and five police vehicles were set on fire.
Kohat police spokesperson Muhammad Nauman Zeb said the team was heading to conduct a raid against illegal mining when it came under fire in the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area, between Kohat and Karak. He named DSP Gambat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar among those killed.
Initial reports said the attackers opened fire on the police personnel from hilltops. The police spokesperson said the attackers kept firing, and a heavy exchange of fire followed. Extra police vehicles were sent to the scene, and a heavy police contingent was called in to respond.
Security was placed on high alert in the area as more reinforcements reached the site. An emergency was declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Kohat after the attack in Gambat tehsil.
Kohat police ambush: why the team was in Gambat
The team was on its way to act against illegal gold mining in the area. Gambat sits on the border between Kohat and Karak districts, and its rough, hilly ground gave the attackers cover. Police said the firing came from the hilltops above the road the team was using.
Illegal mining has drawn police action in the region before. The raids put small police teams on open roads where armed groups can watch their movement and pick a firing position.
No group had claimed the attack when the police spokesperson briefed reporters. Police did not say how many attackers took part, and they did not give a figure for wounded personnel.
A province under strain
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has seen a run of attacks on police personnel in recent months. On October 8, Station House Officer Daud Khan and his gunman, Farhad, were killed when armed men opened fire on a police patrol near the Karak-Kohat boundary, not far from Wednesday’s ambush site.
On September 28, three traffic police personnel were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked their vehicle in Tank district. On September 25, Counter-Terrorism Department Constable Muhammad Afaq was killed, and three other personnel were injured, during an intelligence-based operation against suspected suicide attackers in Peshawar’s Garhi Sherdad area.
One of the deadliest recent attacks took place on September 18, when a blast followed by an assault at Kohat Police Lines killed 15 police personnel among 23 people. Eight attackers were killed during the clearance operation that followed.
The pattern points to a police force that is taking the brunt of the violence. Two security reports presented to the federal cabinet in October showed that terrorist incidents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had increased by 195 per cent between March 2024 and September 2026. The reports also found that 73 per cent of attacks recorded in the province during 2026 had targeted police and security personnel, while drones and improvised explosive devices had become growing threats.
What the wider figures show
The Kohat ambush fits a national trend that has worsened each year since 2022. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025, up from 658 in 2022.
The same day, police in the province announced the arrest of an Afghan national in the Tirah Valley who they said was planning attacks in Pakistan. The two developments, reported hours apart, show the pressure on the province’s police from both sides: planned attacks being broken up by intelligence work, and patrols being hit on the ground. Displaced families from Tirah have also started returning home in phases, under a plan announced by the provincial authorities this week.
The army has been deployed in the province in aid of civil power under Article 245, a step taken as the security situation worsened. The deployment was ordered as the province’s police came under repeated attack. Police posts in the southern districts have also been targeted: three personnel were abducted from a police post in Hangu in a separate incident.
What happens next
Police have cordoned off the area around Darbokach Jalandhar Banda, and a search is under way for the attackers. The bodies of the dead were shifted to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, where the emergency remains in force.
Funeral prayers and the formal identification of all the dead are expected to follow once the families have been informed. Police have not yet said whether a first information report has been registered, or whether a specific group is suspected.
The attack will add to questions about how police teams are protected when they move into remote areas for raids.
Frequently asked questions
How many police personnel were killed in Kohat?
At least ten police personnel were killed, including DSP Gambat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar. Five police mobile vehicles were also set on fire during the attack.
Where did the Kohat police ambush take place?
The ambush took place in the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area of Gambat tehsil, between Kohat and Karak, while the police team was heading to raid illegal gold mining.
Who attacked the police team?
Police have not named a group. The spokesperson said the attackers opened fire from hilltops, and a heavy exchange of fire followed before reinforcements arrived.
How bad is the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa?
Two security reports presented to the federal cabinet in October showed terrorist incidents in the province rose by 195 per cent between March 2024 and September 2026, with 73 per cent of attacks in 2026 aimed at police and security personnel.
