At least 11 Pakistani policemen killed in ambush by suspected robbers
Al Jazeera
Police convoy attacked with rocket-propelled grenades in Punjab province in area known to have criminal hideouts.
Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades have ambushed a police convoy in eastern Pakistan’s Punjab province, killing at least 11 officers and wounding seven, authorities say.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the Rahim Yar Khan district’s Kacha town on Thursday.
The officers were ambushed while on patrol in a deserted area in search of robbers who operate in the region. Police said the gunmen were likely robbers and not members of an armed group.
“The bandits attacked the vehicles with rocket launchers after one of the vehicles in the convoy broke down,” said a statement from the inspector general’s office in Punjab.
Security forces often carry out operations against bandits in Punjab and Sindh province in the south. They hide in rural, forested areas and sometimes carry out kidnappings to make money through ransoms. They have also killed several police officers in attacks over recent months.
