Three policemen killed as assailants storm police HQ in northwest Pakistan

This representative photo shows police officers stand guard in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. (Photo/Reuters)

At least three policemen were killed in northwest Pakistan when terrorists stormed a district police headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, a police source told Reuters.

The attack on the complex, which houses both the district police headquarters and a residential complex, was ongoing, the high-ranking police source said, adding that the assailants, who included suicide bombers, had been "pinned down" in the area.

Three assailants were killed by police, he added.

The source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said three policemen were killed while resisting the assault on the Police Lines of District Bannu, which borders the restive North Waziristan tribal district on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group, locally known as TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack, a spokesperson for the group said.

The roads around the complex have been closed to traffic as security forces moved to neutralise the remaining attackers, the police source added.

Bannu is about 350 kilometers from Pakistan's capital Islamabad, which is under strict security lockdown due to the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday ahead of a regional leaders' meeting this week.

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Source: TRT