A police convoy is attacked by men armed with rocket-propelled grenades in Punjab province, an area known for having criminal hideouts.
Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades ambushed a police convoy in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, killing at least 11 officers and wounding seven, officials said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the village of Kacha in Rahim Yar Khan district on Thursday.
The officers were ambushed while patrolling in a deserted area in search of robbers operating in the region. Police said the gunmen were likely robbers and not members of an armed group.
“The bandits attacked the vehicles with rocket launchers after one of the vehicles in the convoy broke down,” said a statement from the inspector general's office in Punjab.
Security forces often carry out operations against bandits in the southern provinces of Punjab and Sindh. They hide in rural and forested areas and sometimes carry out kidnappings for ransom. They have also killed several police officers in attacks in recent months.
Kacha is known for its robber hideouts along the Indus River, where hundreds of heavily armed bandits evade the police.
Police said one of the police vehicles apparently broke down while driving through rainwater on agricultural fields when dozens of bandits launched the attack, one of the deadliest of its kind in recent years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement calling for “immediate and effective action” against those responsible.
Pakistan has seen a rise in attacks by armed groups in recent years, but such a high number of police casualties in a single attack is rare.
Gunmen opened fire on a school van in Punjab on Thursday morning, killing two children and wounding six people, police said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
A local police official told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to be directed at the bus driver and that the motive was likely “enmity.”
Pakistan's government has been struggling for decades to control armed groups operating in several provinces across the country. Some are criminal organisations, while others, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, aim to overthrow the government.
