Blast targeting police patrol in Pakistan kills five

Islamabad: At least five people were killed and 21 others injured in a blast that targeted a police patrol in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.

The incident took place in Dera Ismail Khan city, Dawn news reported.

According to the police, a patrol van was targeted with an improvised explosive device planted on a motorcycle in Ponda Bazar area.

Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police along with rescue teams reached the area and shifted the wounded to a nearby hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.

Security forces cordoned off the place and kicked off a search operation in surrounding areas.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blast.

Friday's incident comes just days after a policeman was killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police camp in Dera Ismail Khan.

The same day, two soldiers were killed in an IED blast in South Waziristan district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, Dawn news reported.

Last month, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years.

There were 99 attacks across the country, the highest number in a single month since November 2014, the PICSS had said.