Kohat Attack: 10 Policemen Martyred, 18 Militants Killed in Ambush After Anti-Gold-Mining Operation

November 12, 2026 Faizan Altaf

Ten policemen were martyred and 18 militants were killed in Kohat on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, when gunmen ambushed a police party returning from an operation against illegal gold mining. The Kohat attack is one of the deadliest single attacks on police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year, and it comes in a month when militant violence in Pakistan has reached its highest level in more than a decade.

The police team had finished a joint operation with the local civil administration in the Darabukach area of Kohat district and was on its way back when the attackers opened fire. The exchange of fire went on for hours. Among the dead was Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Haidar Zaman, a senior officer who was leading the team.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on Thursday and paid tribute to the fallen officers, saying the nation holds their sacrifices in the highest regard. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Associated Press.

At a glance

What happened: Militants ambushed a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police party in the Darabukach area of Kohat district on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
The toll: 10 policemen martyred, including DSP Haidar Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar. Twelve injured policemen were taken to hospital. Police say 18 militants were killed in the exchange of fire.
Why the police were there: The team had just completed a joint operation with the local administration against illegal gold mining.
Who is blamed: Police say the attackers belonged to Fitna al-Khawarij, the name the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The TTP later claimed responsibility, the Associated Press reported.
The reaction: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi all condemned the attack and praised the police.

What happened in Darabukach

The attack took place in Darabukach, a locality in Gambat tehsil of Kohat district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-western Pakistan. The area sits between Kohat and Karak, close to the border with Afghanistan, in a region where militant groups have long been active.

According to a statement from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police public relations directorate, the police party had been carrying out a joint operation with the local civil administration against people involved in illegal gold mining. The operation was complete and the team was returning when the attackers struck.

“When the police party was returning after completing the operation, Fitna al Khawarij attacked the police party at the behest of criminal elements,” the police statement said.

The officers fought back. “Police personnel fought the attackers with great bravery and courage, as a result of which 18 khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement said, adding that 10 police personnel “embraced martyrdom while fighting bravely”.

The Associated Press, citing a local police official, reported that the exchange of fire between the security forces and the attackers continued for hours. The attackers also set five police vehicles on fire during the assault, according to the Express Tribune.

Rescue 1122, the emergency service, shifted 12 injured policemen to hospital. An earlier statement from Rescue 1122 had put the death toll at 11, but police later confirmed the figure as 10.

The officers who were martyred

The martyred officers all came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, most of them from Kohat itself, according to the police statement. Their “sacrifices will always be remembered”, the statement said.

The most senior officer among the dead was Deputy Superintendent of Police Haidar Zaman, who served as DSP Gambat. Photographs shared by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police on their X account showed DSP Zaman among those killed. Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar was also among the martyred officers.

Two senior police officers were among the 10 killed, a local police official told the Associated Press.

The funerals of the martyred officers were expected to be held with full police honours, as is customary for officers killed in the line of duty in Pakistan.

Why the police were targeting illegal gold mining

The operation that ended in the ambush was part of a crackdown on illegal placer gold mining in Kohat. Placer gold mining means digging gold out of riverbeds and loose soil and gravel, rather than from deep underground mines. In Kohat, the activity has grown in recent years, drawing in criminal groups that mine without licences, damage the land and, according to police, work hand in hand with militants.

The attack came a day after the Kohat deputy commissioner imposed a 60-day ban on parking excavators within the limits of Block-C and Block-D of the placer gold mining area and adjacent mining zones. The ban was aimed at stopping the heavy machinery used in illegal digging.

Police said the attackers had acted at the instigation of criminal elements involved in the illegal mining trade. In its statement, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said the incident showed that the militants had no connection with Islam or Pakistan and were working alongside criminal mafias to pursue their aims.

The link between illegal mining and militancy is not new in Pakistan. In several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, armed groups have been accused of taxing or protecting illegal mining, logging and smuggling operations to raise money. For the militants, the trade is a source of funds. For the criminal gangs, the militants provide armed protection. For the police, that makes every raid on an illegal mine a potentially dangerous operation.

Who carried out the attack

Police blamed the attack on Fitna al-Khawarij, the term the Pakistani state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP is a militant group, separate from the Afghan Taliban, that has fought the Pakistani state for years and wants to impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law in Pakistan.

Hours after the attack, the TTP claimed responsibility for it in a statement, the Associated Press reported. The claim fits a wider pattern: the group has stepped up attacks on security forces and police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months.

The TTP was pushed back into Afghanistan after a series of military operations in Pakistan, but it has rebuilt its strength in recent years. Pakistan has repeatedly said the group operates from Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government in Kabul denies.

Reaction: tributes from the prime minister and others

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the martyrdom of the 10 officers in a late-night statement on Wednesday, and returned to the subject on Thursday. He strongly condemned the attack in the Darabukach area and extended his condolences to the families of the martyred personnel.

The prime minister praised the police for killing 18 militants in retaliatory action and reaffirmed his resolve to completely eliminate terrorism from the country.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and paid tribute to the officers who were martyred, according to Arab News.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow over the martyrdoms and sought a detailed report on the incident from the authorities, according to an official statement issued by his office.

A wider pattern: militant attacks at a 12-year high

The Kohat attack did not happen in isolation. Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based independent think tank that monitors anti-state violence in the region, the country recorded its highest monthly number of militant attacks in 12 years during September 2026. PICSS recorded 225 militant attacks across the country in September, compared with 199 in August.

That figure is important because it shows the scale of the problem the police face. The attacks are not limited to one district or one group. They include bombings, ambushes, targeted killings and attacks on police stations and checkposts, carried out by the TTP and other militant groups, including separatist groups in Balochistan.

Police officers have borne much of the cost. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police stations and patrols are often the first targets because they are the most visible face of the state in remote districts. Officers in districts such as Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and the merged tribal districts work in areas where militants can move across difficult terrain and disappear.

The government has responded with military operations and police crackdowns, but the September figures suggest the violence is still rising. Each attack like the one in Kohat adds to the pressure on a police force that is already stretched.

What happens next

The immediate next step is the investigation. Governor Kundi has asked for a detailed report on the attack, and police are expected to examine how the ambush was planned and whether the attackers had help from people involved in the illegal mining trade.

The crackdown on illegal gold mining in Kohat is also likely to continue. The 60-day ban on excavators in the placer gold areas remains in force, and the attack may push the administration to take stronger action against the mining mafia, rather than backing off.

There is also a bigger question: whether the government will change how it protects police teams working in high-risk areas. The Kohat team was attacked on its way back from an operation, when it may have been at its most exposed. Security experts often point out that the return journey after a raid is one of the most dangerous moments for a police party, because attackers can watch the operation and choose the time and place to strike.

For the families of the 10 martyred officers, the immediate concern is more personal. The government usually announces compensation for the families of police officers killed in the line of duty, along with jobs for a family member and free education for children. The details of any such package for the Kohat officers had not been announced at the time of writing.

For Pakistan as a whole, the attack is a reminder of a hard truth: the fight against militancy is far from over, and the police are on the front line of it.

Frequently asked questions

Where did the Kohat attack happen?

The attack happened in the Darabukach area of Gambat tehsil, in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in north-western Pakistan. The area lies between Kohat and Karak, near the border with Afghanistan.

How many people were killed in the Kohat attack?

Ten policemen were martyred, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Haidar Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar. Twelve injured policemen were taken to hospital. Police say 18 militants were killed in the exchange of fire.

Why were the police in Darabukach?

The police party had just finished a joint operation with the local civil administration against illegal gold mining in the area. They were attacked while returning from the operation. A day earlier, the Kohat deputy commissioner had imposed a 60-day ban on parking excavators in the placer gold mining areas.

Who carried out the attack?

Police blamed Fitna al-Khawarij, the name the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP later claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Associated Press.

Is militant violence rising in Pakistan?

Yes. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, Pakistan recorded 225 militant attacks in September 2026, the highest monthly number in 12 years. Attacks have risen sharply in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since 2021.

Conclusion

The ambush in Kohat on 11 November 2026 killed 10 policemen and 18 militants, and it tells a larger story about Pakistan’s security challenges. A routine operation against illegal gold mining turned deadly because the criminal trade and the militant groups that feed off it are now working together.

The 10 officers who died, led by DSP Haidar Zaman, were doing a job that puts them in danger every day. Their deaths, and the tributes that followed from the prime minister, the interior minister and the provincial governor, show how much the country relies on its police in the fight against militancy.

The test now is what follows: a proper investigation, a sustained crackdown on the illegal mining networks, and better protection for police teams working in the most dangerous districts. The September figures, with 225 attacks in a single month, show that the violence is not fading. Until the networks that fund and shelter the militants are broken, attacks like the one in Kohat will keep happening.

Sources

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

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