At least 9 Pakistani policemen killed in attack: police

A criminal gang attacked police vehicles with rocket launchers in central Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least nine officers, police said.

The two police vehicles were driving through Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province when they were attacked in the evening.

“The bandits attacked the vehicles with rocket launchers after one of the vehicles in the convoy broke down,” a statement from the Inspector General’s office in Punjab said.

“At least 9 police officers were killed in the attack, while several officers were injured.”

Organized criminal gangs have been active in the riverine areas of Sindh and Punjab provinces for decades, often making money through kidnapping and ransom.

In the early 1990s, the army carried out a large-scale operation against them in Sindh, but they resurfaced after successive governments failed to maintain law and order in the province.

Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif has ordered “immediate and effective action” against the attackers, his office said in a statement.