A suicide bomber today targeted a police patrol in Mardan district of northwest Pakistan, killing a policeman and injuring six others, officials said.
The incident occurred at a market in Katlang town, located about 50 km from Peshawar, the capital of the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
DIG Jaffar Khan confirmed a suicide bomber was involved in the attack. Policemen spotted two suspicious men on a motorcycle and began chasing them.
One of the men blew himself up near a police van, killing a policeman and injuring two policemen and four civilians, officials said.
Some reports said the bomber, who blew himself up, was injured in an exchange of fire with the police. The bomber’s companion managed to escape.
Officials said they had launched a search operation in the area.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack though such incidents are usually blamed on the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has carried out a string of bombings and suicide attacks over the past few weeks.