3 policemen killed in explosion in NW Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least three policemen were killed and over a dozen others injured in a militant attack on a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday morning, police said.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-packed vehicle on the main gate of Daraban police station in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a spokesperson at the police emergency control room in the district told Anadolu.

The injured, including several in critical condition, were shifted to a local hospital.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last month, at least five people including a policeman were killed in an explosion targeting a police vehicle in the main market of the district.

Attacks have increased in recent months against Pakistani security forces, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan-based militants loyal to outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan of carrying out attacks, claiming the interim Taliban administration has turned a blind eye. Kabul, however, denies the charge.

In turn, Pakistan launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants, forcing over 450,000 Afghan refugees to leave the country over the past few weeks.