11 policemen killed in a deadly attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, TTP claims responsibility

New Delhi: TTP militants have launched a major attack on a police team in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In this attack, 11 policemen including a Deputy SP and a Sub-Inspector were killed, while 12 were injured. This attack took place in Gambat area of ​​Kohat district. Police said that the police team was going to conduct a raid against illegal gold mining, when they were attacked in Darbokaz Jalandhar Banda area situated between Kohat and Karak. Police have claimed to have killed 18 militants in retaliatory action.

TTP claimed responsibility for the attack

Hours after the attack, the Pakistani Taliban issued a statement claiming responsibility. The Pakistani Taliban is also known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Police said 18 Khawarij were killed in the exchange of fire. The Pakistani government uses the term Khawarij to describe the TTP. Police said the attack highlights links between criminal networks and the Pakistani Taliban, and that they appear to have joined forces at the behest of foreign powers.

How was the attack carried out?

According to Pakistani media reports, the attackers were positioned on hilltops and firing from above. Rescue 1122 confirmed the deaths of 11 policemen, while 12 others were injured. Police spokesman Mohammad Nauman Zeb said the killed policemen included DSP Haider Zaman and Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar. During the attack, the attackers set fire to five police vehicles.

A police spokesman said heavy gunfire erupted between the attackers and the police team. Upon receiving information about the attack, more police vehicles and a heavy security force were dispatched to the scene. Security forces have been deployed in the surrounding area, and a high alert is in effect. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack and expressed grief over the deaths of the policemen. Kundi directed that those responsible for the attack be brought to justice.

Major attack after Governor rule

The attack comes a month after the imposition of a state of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). President Asif Ali Zardari suspended the PTI's elected government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing the rise in terrorism in KP and the provincial administration's failure to address it.

Extremist violence escalates in KP

• Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a surge in extremist violence over the past several years, with attacks targeting police and security personnel on the rise.
• Earlier on October 8, gunmen attacked a police patrol near the Karak-Kohat border, killing SHO Dawood Khan and his bodyguard.
• On September 28, three policemen were killed in an attack in Tank District. On September 25, a policeman was killed during an operation in Peshawar.
• The deadliest attack in recent months occurred on September 18 at the Kohat Police Lines, killing 23 people, including 15 policemen.

Tension in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Pakistan has blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the rise in extremist violence. Islamabad alleges that the TTP enjoys patronage from the Afghan Taliban regime and that extremists are using Afghan soil as a safe haven. This has also led to increased tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, and Pakistani forces have carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

The Taliban have responded to these attacks, and there have been several fierce face-to-face clashes along the border. The Taliban have rejected Pakistan's allegations, saying Islamabad is blaming others for its own security failures. The Taliban regime in Kabul has also denied allegations that the TTP is using Afghan soil.