The key facts

  • At least 11 police officers killed and 12 wounded in the Kohat district of northwestern Pakistan
  • Police were heading to a raid against illegal gold mining; five vehicles were set on fire
  • According to ACLED, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan rose from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025

Attack in the Kohat district

On Wednesday, in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, militants attacked a group of police officers who were heading to a raid against illegal gold mining. According to Kohat police spokesman Muhammad Nauman Zeb, at least 11 officers were killed and 12 more were wounded. The attack took place in the Darbakach Jalandhar Banda area between the districts of Kohat and Karak; five police vehicles were set on fire.

Context: rising number of attacks

In recent months, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has experienced a series of attacks targeting police officers. According to the global monitoring organization ACLED, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan has been growing annually since 2022: from 658 attacks in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025 — an almost fourfold increase. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack in Kohat at the time of publication, and no details about the attackers were reported.