2 policemen killed in attack in Pakistan

Two policemen, including a senior officer, were killed on Friday when unidentified armed men opened fire on a police vehicle in northwest Pakistan, an official said.

The incident occurred in Dera Ismail Khan district in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

No group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) official, unidentified armed assailants opened fire on the police van near Shah Alam Mor in Daraban tehsil of the district.

During the attack, two policemen, including an Assistant Sub Inspector, were killed, the CTD official said, adding that the retaliatory fire from the police personnel forced the attackers to flee the scene.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack and has sought a detailed report on the incident. He expressed condolences to the families of the policemen killed in the attack.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has faced recurring unrest over the years driven by militant violence, cross-border movement of fighters from Afghanistan and repeated military operations.

The federal Government accuses the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan of carrying out attacks in the province after its ceasefire deal ended in November 2022.