PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 16, (Agencies): Taleban suicide bombers dressed in burqas stormed a Pakistani police station on Monday, sparking gunbattles in the northwestern town of Bannu near the militant stronghold of North Waziristan, officials said.
The militants threw hand grenades and opened fire on the building used by police intelligence, senior police official Nisar Ahmed told AFP.
“One suicide bomber blew himself up, while the other was shot dead by police,” Ahmed said.
Gulab Niaz told AFP by telephone from inside the building that he and two colleagues had locked themselves in a room as the shootout unfolded outside.
Two wounded policemen were evacuated to hospital, where one died of his injuries, police official Nisar Ahmed told AFP.
Local residents were being evacuated, shops have closed and a curfew imposed in the city, 150 miles (240 kms) southwest from the capital Islamabad, police said.
Pakistani Taleban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility for the assault in a telephone call to AFP. The group has waged an insurgency in the northwest that has killed thousands of people since July 2007.
Bannu lies close to Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal district of North Waziristan, the most infamous militant bastion on the Afghan border that US officials say is used a launchpad for attacks in Afghanistan.
Four gunmen were killed, including two after detonating suicide vests, during a militant raid on a police station in the northwest Pakistan town of Bannu on Monday, police said.
The Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan militant group have claimed responsibility for the attack.
A fifth attacker was arrested by police following the assault, which began at around 9:45 am and lasted for around three hours, police said.
The assault is the latest in a string of attacks by militants on buildings and locations used by security forces in the country.
The attack took place in the city of Bannu just outside of the militant stronghold of North Waziristan in the rugged tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.
Police official Zeenatullah Khan said police cordoned off the building and exchanged fire with the attackers. The roughly five-hour siege ended after police stormed the building and rescued the hostages.
Initial reports indicated that one police officer was killed in the attack, but police official Zahid Khan from Bannu said no police died. Three were wounded, he said.
He said security forces caught two of the attackers while another was killed by police gunshots and a fourth exploded his suicide vest.
The Pakistani Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack.
“They are our fighters. They are fighting. There are two suicide bombers,” said Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the Taleban. He spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Because of Bannu’s proximity to North Waziristan, militant fighters often launch attacks on Pakistani government facilities in the city and then retreat back into the tribal region where it is almost impossible for the security forces to track them.
In April, Pakistani Taleban fighters broke into a prison in the city and freed close to 400 prisoners, including 20 who were considered dangerous insurgents.