Suicide bombers attack Police station in Pakistan, 8 killed

Islamabad: A group of Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Monday, triggering a gun battle that left eight persons dead, including four policemen.

The terrorists, armed with heavy weapons and wearing suicide vest, launched the attack at Kakki, located 14 km from Bannu city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, while policemen and local residents were offering prayers at a mosque inside the police station compound.

At least eight persons, including two policemen and an officer, were injured in the attack.

There was confusion about the total number of attackers, with some reports saying up to five terrorists were involved in the incident and that some of them had escaped.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan saying it was carried out in retaliation for the recent killing of Ibrahim Mehsud, a nephew of slain former Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

The Bannu region is located close to the Taliban stronghold of North Waziristan and has witnessed several attacks by militants.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, saying such cowardly acts cannot shake the government’s resolve to wipe out terrorism.