LOC18:34
15:34 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Dec 23 (KUNA) - (with photo) At least five policemen were killed on Tuesday when a police vehicle came under attack in Pakistan's northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province bordering Afghanistan.
The district police chief spokesperson, Shaukat Khan in a statement to media confirmed that five police constables were killed when a police mobile came under attack in Gurguri area of Karak district in KPK.
The gunmen set the vehicle ablaze after shooting at it.
A large police contingent, including the district police chief, reached the scene and a search operation went underway.
The District Police Officer, Saud Khan said, "We are investigating the incident from all angles and efforts are underway to trace the attackers."
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief over the deaths. PM Sharif said,
"The police have always played a frontline role in the fight against terrorism," he said, adding, "The entire nation salutes the martyrs."
Reiterating the government's resolve, Shehbaz emphasized that Pakistan remained fully committed to the complete elimination of terrorism in all its forms.
On Sunday, at least nine militants were killed in two separate operations by security forces in Dera Ismail Khan district of KPK on reported presence of militants.
The attack comes at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a rise in terror attacks especially in KPK and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. (end)
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