15 police officers killed in armed and bomb attack in northwest Pakistan, press reports

At least 15 police officers were killed Saturday evening in an attack combining shooting and bombing in northwest Pakistan, one of the deadliest in recent months, local media reported Sunday.

The attack occurred in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, when a suspected suicide bomber rammed a police checkpoint with a booby-trapped vehicle, according to Dawn News.

The suicide attack was followed by explosions and heavy gunfire carried out by heavily armed attackers, specifies the same source.

Local police chief Sajjad Khan said three other officers were injured in the attack.

After the explosion, the attackers opened fire from several directions, while several detonations were heard in the area, causing panic among residents.

The security forces launched a response operation, without an assessment of the losses on the attackers’ side being immediately available.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered security forces to do everything possible to bring those responsible to justice, according to a press release from his services.

The Bannu district, close to the unstable tribal region of North Waziristan, is regularly the scene of violence targeting civilians and security forces.

Pakistan has experienced an increase in attacks by armed groups in recent years, largely attributed to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which Islamabad accuses of operating from Afghanistan, an accusation rejected by Kabul.

*Translated from English by Ben Amed Azize Zougmore