Peshawar, November 11, 2026: At least 12 policemen were injured on Wednesday when a police party came under attack during an operation against illegal gold mining in the Gumbat tehsil of Kohat district, officials said.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jawad Afridi said in a video message that 12 police personnel had been shifted to hospital after the police party came under fire.
He added that, according to the injured personnel, several bodies were present at the scene. However, he said the exact number of casualties would be confirmed after further information became available.
In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said a major operation had been launched against illegal gold mining, allegedly facilitated by a nexus between terrorist and criminal elements.
The statement said terrorists attacked a police contingent in the Darbukach area, within the jurisdiction of Gumbat Police Station, blaming the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to by the state as Fitna al Khawarij, for the attack.
Additional police personnel were dispatched to the area, while an exchange of fire was ongoing, the statement added.
The attack came a day after the Kohat deputy commissioner imposed a 60-day ban on parking excavators within Block-C and Block-D of the placer gold mining areas and adjoining locations.
According to the order issued by the deputy commissioner’s office, certain individuals and groups had parked excavators at their residences near mining areas, creating the possibility of their use for unauthorised gold extraction.
The administration said previous operations to clear illegal mining sites had not prevented the continued presence of excavators in residential areas, which it described as facilitating unlawful mining and posing risks to public order and state interests.
In a separate order, the district administration also prohibited the sale, purchase and supply of petroleum products in open containers or bottles for use in unauthorised gold mining.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack and sought a detailed report, according to a statement issued by his office.
The governor expressed sorrow over the reported martyrdom of police personnel, although authorities had not officially confirmed a death toll at the time of reporting.
He described the attack as a cowardly act of terrorism and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Kundi said the sacrifices of police personnel would not go in vain and expressed solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives. He also reiterated his remarks in a post on X.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also expressed grief over the reported loss of lives in the attack on the police team.
In a post on X, he said the sacrifices made by police personnel in the fight against terrorism and criminal elements were a source of pride for the nation. He urged the government and relevant institutions to bring those involved to justice.
The attack follows a series of incidents targeting police personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Last week, two policemen were martyred and another injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Mohmand district. Last month, a police officer was martyred in an attack on a police post in Bajaur.
On October 20, an additional station house officer of Miranshah Police Station was martyred in firing by unidentified individuals near Miranshah Bypass Road in North Waziristan. On October 7, seven policemen were injured in an attack on a police checkpost in Kohat.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the country’s security situation remained volatile between October 30 and November 5, with renewed militant activity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been under governor’s rule and emergency since October 11, when the federal government took the measure, citing what it described as the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism.
