ISLAMABAD

At least three policemen were killed in an explosion targeting a police van in northwestern Pakistan, police said on Wednesday.

The explosion occurred in the Paniyala area of Dera Ismail Khan district when a police van was targeted by militants, a police official at the district police emergency control room told Anadolu over the phone.

“So far, three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, have been killed. However, we are still determining the nature of the blast—whether it was an IED (improvised explosive device) or a direct attack,” the official said.

This was the third attack on police and civil administration in the area during the last three days. On Tuesday, four people, including a senior district government official and two policemen, were killed in a militant attack on Bannu-Miranshah Road in Bannu district. On Monday, a policeman was killed and six others were injured in a suicide bombing on security forces in Lakki Marwat.

Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have long been witnessing militant attacks, as the South Asian country has seen a surge in attacks in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan army on late Tuesday said that at least seven militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted in the North Waziristan area.