PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least six police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed on Tuesday when armed militants ambushed a police vehicle in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials said, underscoring a sharp rise in violence across the province’s southern belt.
The attack targeted a police vehicle transporting two detainees for a court appearance. According to a senior police official, the assailants opened heavy fire near Shakardara Road in the jurisdiction of Lachi police station. The vehicle was later set ablaze.
Those killed included the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), an inspector and four constables. One of the two detainees being transported also died in the attack. Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the victims.
Security forces rushed additional contingents to the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers. The site was cordoned off as investigators began collecting evidence.
The assault drew swift condemnation from national and provincial leaders. Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, denounced the attack and offered condolences to the families of the fallen officers.
Faisal Karim Kundi, the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, called the slain officers’ sacrifices a source of national pride and acknowledged what he described as a deteriorating security situation in the province’s southern districts. He said police were fighting on the front lines against militant violence and paying a heavy price.
The ambush follows a string of deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, fatalities in the province rose sharply from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.
On Monday, three members of the Federal Constabulary were killed in Karak district when militants attacked their unit and later ambushed rescue teams responding to the scene. The assault left additional emergency personnel wounded and destroyed ambulances.
Last week, an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a security checkpost in Bajaur district, killing 11 security personnel and a young girl, according to the military’s media wing.
The escalating violence has placed renewed strain on local law enforcement agencies, particularly in districts bordering former tribal areas, where militant networks have regrouped in recent years.
For residents of Kohat, Tuesday’s attack was another grim reminder of the fragility of security gains once thought to be durable — and of the risks faced daily by officers tasked with maintaining order in a volatile region.
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