Police officer killed in blast near foreign diplomats convoy in northwestern Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) — At least one police officer was killed and another three injured in a roadside explosion near a convoy of foreign diplomats in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, police said.

Detonated remotely, the explosive targeted a security vehicle in the convoy traveling through the Swat Valley.

The diplomats, who were from Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Portugal, were unhurt in the blast, according to local broadcaster Geo News.

"All the diplomats are safe and were sent (back) to Islamabad," Zahidullah Khan, the district police chief, told reporters.

They were on way to Mallam Jabba, a tourist destination in the valley, after attending a ceremony of a local chamber of commerce in Mingora, the capital of Swat.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News showed the damaged security vehicle sitting in the middle of a portion of Mallam Jabba road with security forces cordoning off the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The Swat valley had long been a hotbed for violence until a full-fledged military onslaught dismantled a militant network affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group in 2009.