Militants ambush police in Pakistan, sparking gunbattle that kills 10 officers and 18 militants

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Militants ambushed vehicles carrying police officers in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, triggering a gunbattle that killed at least 10 officers and 18 militants, officials said.

The attack took place in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, when police officers were returning after conducting an operation against criminals involved in illegal gold mining in an area near Kohat, local police official Faisal Khan said.

He said two senior police officers were among the 10 officers killed and an exchange of fire between security forces and the attackers continued for hours.

Hours later, the Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the attack.