KOHAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the local civil administration conducted an operation against elements involved in illegal gold mining in Darra Bokach near Kohat.
As the police party was returning after completing the operation, it was attacked by Fitna al-Khawarij militants at the behest of criminal elements.
The policemen fought back with great bravery, killing 18 Khawarij.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and nine other Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police personnel were martyred while bravely fighting the attackers.
Officials said the collusion between criminal elements and Fitna al-Khawarij at the behest of foreign forces, and their joint attack on the police party, clearly proves that the criminal mafia and the Khawarij maintain organised links.