A police officer was killed and four others were injured when unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade at a police outpost in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday, in the latest targeted attack on the security forces.
A blast occurred after unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade at Chamtar police outpost in Mardan district, which killed a police officer and injured four others, security officials said.
The area was cordoned off and the injured were immediately rushed to a hospital, police said.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, and police said they have launched an investigation into this case.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has condemned the attack and sought a detailed report.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in the targeted attacks on security forces in recent times.
Earlier this week, four policemen were killed in separate attacks in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after unidentified gunmen on motorcycles opened fire at them, according to the Dawn newspaper.
In June, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of security forces in the North Waziristan tribal district, injuring at least 10 security personnel, the report said.
Similarly, in May, a suicide bomber attacked a vehicle of the security forces parked at a checkpoint in the Razmak area of North Waziristan, injuring two security personnel and several children, it added.
