SRINAGAR: At least 10 police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and a sub-inspector, were killed when militants ambushed a police team in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The attack took place in the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area of Kohat district, between Kohat and Karak, when a police team was travelling to conduct an operation against illegal gold mining, The Express Tribune reported, quoting Kohat police spokesperson Muhammad Nauman Zeb.
According to the spokesperson, the attackers opened fire on the police personnel from surrounding hilltops, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire.
The deceased included DSP Gambat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar, Zeb said.
The attackers also set five police mobile vehicles on fire during the assault, he added.
Additional police contingents were rushed to the area as firing continued, while security was placed on high alert. An emergency was also declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Kohat, according to the police spokesperson.
The Associated Press, quoting local police official Faisal Khan, also reported that at least 10 officers were killed and that two senior police officers were among the deceased. It said the exchange of fire between security forces and the attackers was continuing.
Meanwhile, Dawn reported that Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jawad Afridi said at least 12 injured police personnel had been shifted to hospital following the attack.
No militant organisation had immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, according to the Associated Press.
