Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) The death toll from the suicide bombing at Kabal Police Station in Swat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 17 after two more injured police personnel succumbed to their injuries, local media reported on Monday.
Police authorities said that two police personnel injured in the suicide blast died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. With the latest fatalities, the number of police personnel who have been killed in the attack rose to seven while the total fatalities from the attack climbed to 17. Police said that 13 injured police personnel were undergoing treatment at the hospital, Pakistan-based Samaa TV reported.
The incident took place near the gate of the police station, where hundreds of people had gathered to participate in a public demonstration at Kabal Chowk, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
Swat District Police Officer Umar Khan said that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives after police personnel tried to stop him at the station's entry gate. According to the DPO, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On July 22, a police personnel was killed after unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Sarvekai area of Upper South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported, citing officials.
The officials said the police constable, deployed at Sarvekai police station, was heading to perform his official duty when unidentified assailants opened fire on him near a stream in the Moley Khan Sarai area, Dawn reported. He succumbed to his injuries at the site of the incident before medical assistance could reach him.
After the incident, police and law enforcement personnel rushed to the site of the incident and collected evidence. A search operation was initiated to find and arrest the perpetrators. Police officials said that a probe was being conducted from multiple angles.
