10 policemen martyred, 18 terrorists killed in KP's Kohat gold mining operation

• Operation conducted by KP police and civil administration.
• Police say Khawarij have nothing to do with Islam and Pakistan.
• Police cite nexus between criminals and Fitna al-Khawarij.

KOHAT: Ten policemen were martyred and 18 terrorists killed in a gunfight during an operation against illegal gold mining in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district, police said on Wednesday.

The operation was carried out by KP Police and the local civil administration against those involved in illegal gold mining at Darabo Kach, near Kohat.

According to police, the “Fitna al-Khawarij” attacked the police party at the behest of criminal elements as it was returning after completing the operation.

Police said the personnel fought the attackers with great courage and bravery, which resulted in the deaths of 18 militants. Ten KP policemen were martyred while fighting valiantly.

Police said the joint attack by criminal elements and the Fitna al-Khawarij, acting at the behest of external forces, was clear proof of organised links between the criminal mafia and the militants.

“This incident once again proves that the Fitna al-Khawarij have nothing to do with Islam and Pakistan,” police said, adding that the militants were working with criminal mafias to achieve their “nefarious objectives”.

Police vowed that all possible action would be taken against the criminal elements and the Fitna al-Khawarij allegedly operating with external backing. “Facilitators of the Khawarij and criminal mafias will not be spared under any circumstances. No illegal activity will be allowed,” police said.

The martyred policemen belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly Kohat district, police said. “Their sacrifices will always be remembered.”

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist incidents, particularly in KP and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Pakistan recorded its highest monthly number of militant attacks in 12 years during September 2026.

According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based independent think tank monitoring anti-state violence in the region, 225 militant attacks were recorded across the country in September, compared with 199 in August — an increase of 13%. Militant attacks increased for the third consecutive month.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by militant organisations to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistan maintains that the Afghan Taliban regime has failed to take effective action against groups responsible for attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.

Despite multiple rounds of talks, Islamabad and Kabul have yet to resolve their differences, with the issue of militant groups operating from Afghan soil remaining a major point of contention between the two sides.