Terrorist attack in northwest Pakistan kills four policemen

PESHAWAR: At least four Pakistani policemen were killed and as many as injured in the terrorist attack on a newly-constructed police station in the country's volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

The Bargai police station in Laki Marwat bordering the south Waziristan tribal district was attacked by terrorists carrying lethal weapons, including hand grenades and rocket launchers, police said.

The suspected terrorists fled the scene after a fierce exchange with the police, it said. A heavy police contingent launched a search operation in the area to track down the suspects.

Mehmud Khan, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, described the attack as an act of cowardice and sought an immediate report from the provincial police chief.

President Arif Alvi also expressed his condolences to the grieving families and condemned the attack saying "our efforts will continue until the complete elimination of the remnants of terrorism".

Although no group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the previous attacks on police in the district have been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007 called off a ceasefire agreed upon with the federal government in June and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.

Last month, militants attacked a police patrol vehicle, killing all six policemen in the same area. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the ambush.

The group, which is believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.