12 policemen critically injured in ambush in Kohat anti-mining operation

PESHAWAR: At least 12 police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were critically injured when armed attackers ambushed a police party in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday as it headed to conduct an operation against illegal gold mining, police and rescue officials said.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jawad Afridi said the injured police personnel had been shifted to hospital.

According to him, police personnel at the scene had reported 11 bodies lying there. However, the reported fatalities had yet to be verified by rescue teams.

The attack took place in the Darbokach area within the jurisdiction of Gumbat police station, between Kohat and Karak, according to the provincial police spokesperson.

The 12 injured policemen were shifted to hospital, while an emergency was declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Kohat. Police also feared casualties.

Kohat police launched a major operation against illegal gold mining allegedly carried out through a nexus between terrorists and criminal elements when their personnel came under attack in the Darbokach area within the jurisdiction of Gumbat police station, the KP police spokesperson said in a statement.

According to a statement, initial reports suggested that members of Fitna al-Khawarij, allegedly acting in connivance with criminal elements, ambushed the police contingent.

Fresh contingents of police and security forces reached the scene, triggering an exchange of fire with the attackers. Several militants were killed in the gunbattle, the police spokesperson said.

Kohat District Police Officer (DPO) said the pursuit of the attackers was continuing and vowed that the operation would continue until the last militant was eliminated.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson for Kohat Jawad Afridi said ambulances had been dispatched to the remote location and rescuers were making efforts to reach the site. He added that the confirmed death toll would be shared once the teams reached the area and verified the number of bodies.