Iran Press/Asia: Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a police convoy in eastern Punjab province on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 officers and injuries to seven others.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the Rahim Yar Khan district. The officers were ambushed while on patrol in a deserted area in search of robbers who operate in the region.
Punjabi police said the gunmen were likely robbers and not militants. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered "immediate and effective action" against the bandits. Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab Chief Minister, said that the attack “will not go unavenged.”
The ambush comes three weeks after six police officers from Punjab and Sindh provinces were killed by robbers in two separate attacks in the region on July 31.
Pakistan has experienced an increase in violence and militant attacks in recent years, but the occurrence of such a significant number of police casualties in a single attack is uncommon.
