Ten police officers, 18 fighters killed in northwest Pakistan attack

What the report says

At least 10 police officers and 18 fighters were killed in an armed attack in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to provincial police cited by Al Jazeera. The incident took place on Wednesday in the Gumbat area of Kohat district, where officers were returning from an operation linked to illegal gold mining when gunmen opened fire, authorities said. Twelve police personnel were also wounded.

Al Jazeera reported that the Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the assault. Local officials also said fighters burned two police vehicles during the attack, while other police vehicles and one private vehicle were reported missing. A separate official in the nearby Orakzai area said 10 Pakistan Taliban fighters were killed in another operation and that weapons were recovered.

The attack comes amid a broader rise in violence in Pakistan’s border regions, where security forces say they are facing militancy linked to the Pakistan Taliban, also known as TTP. Pakistan has long accused militants of operating from across the Afghan border, an allegation the Taliban authorities in Kabul deny. The episode adds to the strain on security forces and highlights continuing instability in a region that has seen repeated attacks on police and military personnel.