PM Honours 10 Fallen Kohat Cops, Vows to Rout TerroristsPakistan

Expressing heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families, the prime minister said the fallen policemen had set a great example of duty and bravery by laying down their lives in the line of duty. He said the killing of 18 attackers in the retaliatory action was a manifestation of the unwavering resolve of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police against terrorism.

According to the police, the contingent was returning to its stations after the operation in the Darbokach and Jalandhar Banda area, between Kohat and Karak districts, when armed men opened fire from the surrounding hills. The attackers also set five police vehicles on fire during the assault. Rescue officials said at least 12 injured policemen were shifted to hospital, and an emergency was declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Kohat.

Attack linked to illegal gold mining

The prime minister said the nexus of criminal elements and Fitna al-Khawarij was a nefarious attempt to spread insecurity in the country, adding that such elements would not be allowed to succeed in their designs under any circumstances.

Police said the operation had targeted illegal gold extraction in the area, which they believe is carried out through a nexus between militants and criminal groups. The area, situated along the Indus River, has seen disputes over placer gold extraction among local groups. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan later claimed responsibility for the attack, according to monitoring reports, though no claim had been made in the immediate aftermath.

Funeral prayers for the martyred policemen were held on Thursday, with senior police officers, officials and a large number of people in attendance. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the attack and expressed grief over the loss of lives.

The Kohat ambush is one of the deadliest attacks on police in the province in recent weeks. In September, a blast followed by an assault at Kohat Police Lines killed 15 police personnel among 23 people, while eight attackers were killed in the clearance operation that followed.

Security officials say attacks on police and security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have risen sharply in recent years, with militant groups stepping up assaults on checkposts, convoys and police stations. The prime minister’s statement underlined that the state would continue operations against the groups behind such attacks until the threat was eliminated.