Bomb targeting police patrol in northwestern Pakistan kills 11, including 3 police

Bomb kills 11 people in northwestern Pakistan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed 11 people Tuesday in an area of northwestern Pakistan where many citizens fled last year to escape a large army offensive against the Taliban, police said.

The explosion, which killed three police officers and eight civilians, struck the patrol vehicle as it traveled through the town of Dera Ismail Khan, said Mohammed Aslam, a senior police official in the area.

The dead police included a senior officer in the area as well as his guard and driver, said Aslam. The civilians who were killed included two schoolchildren, he said. Another 15 people were wounded.

Thousands of people fled to Dera Ismail Khan in mid-October when the army launched a big ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban’s main stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal area. Many insurgents also escaped ahead of the fighting and have struck back with scores of attacks in the northwest, including in Dera Ismail Khan.