Militants attack check post in Pakistan, two policemen injured

Two policemen were injured when militants attacked a check post in northwest Pakistan while a major terrorist attack was foiled when security personnel defused a bomb planted near a UNICEF office in Peshawar today, officials said.

Militants attacked a check post at Poran in Shangla district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province early this morning.

Two members of a special police force were critically injured in the attack.

The militants escaped after policemen at the post retaliated against the attack.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital.

In Peshawar, a major terrorist attack was foiled when a bomb disposal squad defused an improvised explosive device planted by the roadside near the UNICEF office at University Town.

Police officials said a passer-by noticed the IED and alerted authorities.

The bomb disposal squad was called in to defuse the bomb.

Several national and international NGOs and UN organisations have offices in University Town.

Nothwest Pakistan has witnessed a spike in violence by militants ahead of the May 11 general election that will mark the first democratic transition in the country's history.

Much of the violence has been blamed on the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has threatened to attack election rallies of the Pakistan People's Party and Awami National Party.