Peshawar: At least 11 police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were killed and 12 others injured on Wednesday when terrorists ambushed a police van going for an operation against illegal gold mining in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an official said.
A statement from Rescue 1122 said the number of personnel killed had reached 11, while 12 were injured.
The police team, which was going to Gumbat Kohat area of Kohat district, came under fire in the Darbokach Jalandhar Banda area, located between Kohat and Karak, police spokesperson Muhammad Nauman Zeb said.
The attackers reportedly opened fire on police personnel from hilltops, resulting in casualties and damage to police vehicles, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The deceased included DSP Gambat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar, Zeb said.
Five police mobile vehicles were also set on fire during the assault, he said.
The police spokesperson said the attackers continued firing at police personnel, resulting in a heavy exchange of fire.
Additional police vehicles were dispatched to the scene, while a heavy police contingent was called in to respond to the attack.
Following the attack, an emergency was declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, Zeb said.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack, describing it as a nexus between criminal elements and terrorists.
Expressing grief over the deaths of police personnel, he paid tribute to the fallen officers and extended condolences to their families.