Bomb blast targeting police in Pakistan kills five, injures 21
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Islamabad: At least five people were killed and 21 others injured on Friday in a blast that targeted a police patrol in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Dera Ismail Khan city.
According to police, a patrol van was targeted with an improvised explosive device planted on a motorcycle. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blast.
Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police along with rescue teams reached the area and shifted the wounded to a nearby hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.
Security forces cordoned off the place and kicked off a search operation in surrounding areas.
The incident comes just days after a policeman was killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police camp in Dera Ismail Khan. On the same day, two soldiers were killed in an IED blast in the South Waziristan district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
Last month, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years. There were 99 attacks across the country, the highest number in a single month since November 2014, the PICSS said.
With inputs from IANS