INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Pakistan police said three officers were killed on Friday near the northwestern Afghan border during a gun battle that also killed three
militants, in an uptick in violence raising security concerns ahead of national elections early next year, Reuters reported.The attack came
within two days of another such militant attack in the region which killed 23 Pakistani soldiers in Dera Ismail Khan district, near the
country&s lawless tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.Friday&s attack occurred in adjacent Tank district when one of several militants
first exploded himself at the main entrance of a police office and residence block and the others stormed in, said police official Iftikhar
Shah.&Our force on guard engaged them in a gun battle for hours,& and two more police officers were wounded, he said.Provincial police chief
Akhtar Hayat said three of the attackers were killed
&We are searching for the rest of them, including two who suffered wounds,& he said.A little known militant group that identified itself as
Ansar-ul-Islam claimed responsibility, saying it was their first attack, according to a statement sent to a Reuters reporter.The police
didn&t verify the authenticity of the claim, read the report.The Pakistani military has conducted several operations against the militants,
especially in Waziristan region next to the district where the latest attacks occurred, which once served as a headquarters of the local and
foreign Islamist militants.The militants have ramped up their attacks since they revoked a ceasefire with the government last year, Reuters
reported.It is not clear whether the new branch is part of the main Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, which is an umbrella of several
Islamist and sectarian outfits.The TTP has been waging a war against the state for years, seeking to overthrow the government and replace it
with a harsh brand of Islamic governance.The post Militant attack kills three Pakistani police officers & officials first appeared on Ariana
