At Least 11 Pakistani Policemen Killed in Ambush
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – 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 said.
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.
Kacha is known for robbers’ hideouts along the Indus River, where hundreds of heavily armed bandits evade police, Al Jazeera reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif released a statement calling for “immediate and effective action” against those responsible.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks by armed groups in recent years, but such a high number of police casualties in a single attack is rare.