PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Oct 25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Ten police were shot dead at a

check post near the Afghan border, officials said Friday, in an attack
claimed by the Pakistan Taliban.

"The intense exchange of fire lasted for nearly an hour. Ten Frontier
Constabulary personnel were martyred, and seven were wounded during the
attack," a senior intelligence officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

About 20 to 25 militants launched a heavy assault on a post of the Frontier
Constabulary, a police assistance force, in the Dera Ismail Khan district of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan has seen an increase in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned
to power in 2021, with the Pakistani chapter of the movement carrying out
attacks mostly targeting security forces.

A senior official from the Frontier Constabulary also confirmed the details
on the condition of anonymity.

The attack was around 70 kilometre (around 43 miles) east of Afghan border.

One policeman was killed in a separate attack carried out on Thursday night,
also close to the Afghan border in Khyber district.

Last month a police convoy escorting foreign ambassadors was targeted in road
side blast that left a policeman dead.

The Pakistani Taliban historically has roots in Afghanistan and shares the
same ideology as the Afghan Taliban.

Islamabad says such attacks are being launched from neighbouring Afghanistan
by various militant groups, many linked to the TTP, which the Taliban
authorities in Kabul deny.