KOHAT: Six terrorists were killed in a joint operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district’s Lachi tehsil by the Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) and Kohat police, the police said on Sunday.

In a statement, Kohat District Police Officer Shahbaz Elahi said that the CTD and police carried out the operation after receiving intelligence that terrorists were planning to orchestrate a large-scale attack in Lachi.

Subsequently, a large contingent of CTD personnel and police launched “a search and strike operation”. During the operation, the suspects opened fire on the police, to which the teams responded,” he said, adding that six terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire.

Weapons were recovered from the slain terrorists, Kohat DPO said, adding that a search operation was underway and the area had been cordoned off.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement, paid tribute to the police and CTD for the successful operation, praising their professionalism.

“I am proud of the brave soldiers of the KP police and the CTD,” the interior minister was quoted as saying.

Last month, six law enforcement personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police vehicle in Kohat.

KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year.

According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.