ISTANBUL

At least six police officers and one civilian were killed when Pakistani security forces neutralized five militants in a retaliatory strike after attackers targeted a police training center in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, officials said Saturday.

The operation lasted five hours, during which 13 police officers were also injured, according to a statement from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.

Ammunition, including suicide jackets, were recovered from the militants.

Militants late Friday attacked the police training center in the province’s Dera Ismail Khan district.

A police official told Anadolu that the assault, in which the assailants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the main entrance, was a suicide attack.

The attack came after at least 11 Pakistani security personnel, including two officers, were killed during a clash with militants in the Orakzai District on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a Pakistan army major and seven suspected militants were killed during a security operation in the Dera Ismail Khan area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In a statement, Pakistan’s army said the militants tried to breach the perimeter security but their plans were foiled by the vigilant, resolute response of security personnel on duty.

The attacker hit a mosque inside a school complex and killed an innocent civilian who was performing the duties of an imam, it said.

"The security forces alongside Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan … remain steadfast in their resolve to eradicate Indian sponsored terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers and innocent civilians further strengthen our unwavering commitment of safeguarding our nation at all cost," said the military.

New Delhi has yet to react to the Pakistani military accusations.

Pakistan has seen an increase in militant attacks in recent years. Islamabad accuses neighboring Afghanistan of failing to prevent terrorists of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several militant groups, from carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan, however, denies the charges, reaffirming its commitment not to allow its soil to be used for attacks on its neighbor.