Armed group kills 10 in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region
Al Jazeera
Violence is mounting in the northern province and across the country as national elections approach.
At least 10 policemen have been killed in an attack in northern Pakistan as violence mounts in the run-up to national elections.
Police reported on Monday that attackers had targeted a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail district with heavy weapons. Alongside the 10 people killed, at least six others were injured.
Police said that they have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to hunt down the attackers.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TPJ) issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. The armed group is believed to be an offshoot of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which, seeking to overthrow the government and establish strict religious law, has targeted the state and its institutions for years. Dera Ismail Khan is a former TTP stronghold.
The remote northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in violence as Pakistan’s 128 million voters prepare for February 8 elections.
