Four killed in suspect Taliban attack on Pakistani police

Jan 14, 2012, 11:30 GMT

Islamabad - At least four people were killed and six injured Saturday when gunmen stormed a district police headquarters in Pakistan's north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, triggering clashes with security forces, aid workers and police said.

The raid took place in the Dera Ismail Khan district, which is close to a tribal area where Taliban militants are active.

'So far, four dead bodies and six injured have been shifted to the local hospital,' said Mujahid Khan, a spokesman of Edhi ambulance service.

The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, which was seen as a possible retaliation against recent police action in which several militants were killed.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik earlier had said that some policemen were killed or injured in the attack, but declined to provide any numbers.

A local police official said that the exact number of attackers was not known, but that preliminary information indicated that up to 10 attackers, some of them dressed as policemen, might have been involved.

'One of the attackers detonated his suicide vest at the main gate and then several attackers, who were disguised as policemen, entered the facility.'

The official said there was information that a district police officer might be among the injured.

Panic gripped the city after the attack and all offices and markets were closed. Local television channels showed people running for cover while gunshots could be heard in the background.

Soldiers of the army's Quick Reaction Force were immediately dispatched to help the police. Security forces surrounded the entire area to stop the attackers from fleeing.

Militants have increased attacks on security forces after a brief lull. Around 150 militants attacked a police post in the Sarband area, near Peshawar, early Friday, killing three policemen.