At least 28 people died in Pakistan following an attack on a column of police vehicles that had carried out an operation at an illegal gold extraction site in the Gumbat region.
© Reuters
12/11/2026
by
Lusa
Plink 28 people died in Pakistan following an attack on a column of police vehicles that had carried out an operation at an illegal gold extraction site in the Gumbat region.
According to the latest official balance sheet, among the dead are 10 police officers and 18 attackers.
The attack took place in Kohat district, Gumbat region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to one statement, 12 other members of the security forces were injured.
However, the Islamic radical group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the authorship of a series of attacks in Pakistan, including an action against a column of police vehicles in the Gumbat region.
An administrative authority in the Kohat district told the France Presse Agency (AFP) that two police vehicles were set on fire during the attack, and that two other official vehicles, in addition to a private vehicle, remained missing.
A senior administrative officer from the Orakzai area in Kohat district indicated that 10 TTP fighters were killed during an operation elsewhere.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned Gumbat's attack, stating that the determination to fully eradicate the country's terrorism is unwavering.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also condemned the attack.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been particularly tense since the Taliban took power in 2021 and deteriorated following border clashes in October 2025.
The clashes attenuated after international mediation, but the conflict intensified again in February 2026, with Pakistan declaring “open war” against Afghanistan.
Islamabad accused Kabul of protecting TTP fighters — a movement that has been carrying out attacks in Pakistan for years.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in fighting between the two countries since October 2025, according to data from the United Nations mission in Afghanistan.
In early October, the Pakistani Federal Government announced that it will take control of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province due to the deterioration of the security situation.