Eleven police personnel were killed on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in an ambush in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in one of the deadliest single attacks on police in the province this year. Militants ambushed a police team in the Darbokach and Jalandhar Banda area of Gambat tehsil, between Kohat and Karak, opening fire from the hilltops overlooking the road. The team was travelling in connection with an operation against illegal gold mining along the River Indus. Among the dead are Deputy Superintendent of Police Gambat Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar. Kohat police earlier confirmed 10 dead before the toll rose to 11. Police returned fire and reinforcements were sent to the area.
Rescue 1122 said 12 injured personnel were taken to hospital, and an emergency was declared at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Kohat. Five police vehicles were set on fire in the attack. No group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting. The Associated Press reported that suspicion falls on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the TTP, and that reporting is presented here only as reported suspicion, not as a confirmed claim. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack, asked police for a detailed report and directed that those involved be brought to justice, according to The Express Tribune.
The attack underlines the scale of violence facing police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police data cited by Associated Press of Pakistan counted 680 attacks on police in the province in the first nine months of 2026, up from 508 in the same period of 2025. The Kohat ambush, with a senior officer among the dead, vehicles burned and a dozen personnel wounded, is a stark example of the risks officers face during operations in the province, including operations linked to illegal gold mining along the River Indus. The visuals in this video are original Zark News graphics and are labeled as a Zark News illustration. No third party footage or agency photo is used. Police said reinforcements were sent after the ambush, officers returned fire during the attack, and the injured were moved for treatment after Rescue 1122 responded, while the hospital emergency remained in place for incoming casualties from the Gambat tehsil attack site between Kohat and Karak on Wednesday.
Full story: https://zarknews.com/kohat-ambush-police-killed-dsp/
Sources: Kohat Police; Rescue 1122; Reuters; Associated Press • November 11, 2026. Zark News illustration. Video: Zark News.
