10 police killed in KP attack ahead of polls

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Ten cops were killed and six wounded in an attack on a police station in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province early Monday morning.

The assailants used heavy weapons during the deadly attack in the Daraban tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district, police said.

The wounded security personnel were evacuated to district headquarters hospital, they added.

The police station was attacked from all sides with grenades and heavy gunfire. The attackers escaped as policemen retaliated.

The assault occurred three days ahead of the general elections in the country, where many areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have been declared sensitive.

Dawn quoted Regional Police Officer (RPO) Nasir Mehmood as confirming the casualties.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur told AFP. “More than 30 terrorists launched the attack. There was an exchange of fire for over two-and-a-half hours.”

Gandapur said the attackers briefly seized control of the police station during the assault in the early hours of Monday.

In the build-up to the Feb 8 polls, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have seen a number of attacks, highlighting security concerns in the two provinces.

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