At least six police officers and one civilian were killed in coordinated militant ambushes on police vehicles in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on February 24, 2026, authorities said.
The twin attacks targeted police vehicles traveling through restive northwest areas. In the first ambush, assailants opened fire on a patrol, killing a police officer. Minutes later, when reinforcements arrived, a second assault struck the convoy, killing additional officers and a civilian who was traveling nearby, officials said. Two other officers were wounded and taken to hospital.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility, suspicion has fallen on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a Pakistan-based militant faction often blamed for such attacks in the region. The TTP has been linked to cross-border violence from Afghanistan, though both the group and Afghan authorities deny providing sanctuary for militants.
The incidents come amid a broader pattern of escalating militant violence in northwest Pakistan this month, including a suicide bombing at a shia mosque in Islamabad earlier in February that killed dozens. Authorities have launched search operations to track down the attackers and bolster security along major routes.
