Death toll from bandit attack on police in Pakistan rises to 12

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The death toll in Pakistan's deadliest bandit attack on police has risen to 12 after one of the injured officers died in a hospital in eastern Punjab province, officials said Friday.

Eight policemen were injured in the attack on Thursday, which involved gunfire and anti-tank grenades. It took place in the Kacha area of ​​Rahim Yar Khan district, which is known for its hideouts along the Indus river where hundreds of heavily armed bandits evade police.

Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar said police had killed a bandit leader named Bashir Shar, who was behind the attack. In a statement, Anwar said the operation against the bandits was still ongoing and would continue until the last bandit in the province was eliminated.

Senior police and government officials will attend the funerals of the slain officers later Friday.

Bandits frequently rob people travelling on highways in Punjab and elsewhere in the country. Some areas in Punjab are so dangerous that people avoid driving after sunset to avoid being robbed, although police have cleared most of the so-called “no-go areas”.

According to police, the bandits attacked the police when one of the vehicles carrying the officers broke down on a flooded farm. Pakistan is hit by monsoon rains since July.

The attack was condemned by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who expressed his regret in statements and described the killed officials as martyrs.

Pakistan has experienced an increase in violence in recent years, mostly blamed on militant groups. but the death of so many police officers in an attack on an unprecedented scale.

Police said the robbers took advantage of the darkness to attack police officers. In a statement, they said “police morale is high and such cowardly actions by the robbers cannot weaken police morale.”