Militants attack police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 10 officers

Authorities say militants have attacked a police station in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country's northwest, killing 10 officers

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Militants armed with rockets, guns and grenades attacked a police station in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country's northwest before dawn on Monday, killing 10 officers before fleeing, authorities said.

Six officers were also wounded in this year's deadliest attack in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Senior police officer Anees-ul-Hassan said security forces were working to find and arrest the attackers.

The latest violence came two months after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle outside a police station in the same district in December, killing at least 23 troops and wounding another 32.

That attack was claimed by a newly formed militant group — Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, which is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban. Following the Dec. 5 attack in Dera Ismail Khan, troops killed 27 insurgents in multiple operations, according to the military and local police officials.

Monday's violence came ahead of this week's parliamentary elections.