| Militants gunned down eight policemen near Swat on Friday night, officials said on Saturday. "A group of ten armed militants attacked a police checkpost in Buner and shot dead eight police officials deployed there," police official Sardar Hameed told AFP. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for the killings. "Our men attacked the checkpost and shot dead police officials," he told reporters by telephone in Mingora, the main town in Swat. "We will continue targeting all those police officials who are taking part in the ongoing military operation against us," he added. Unidentified militants also blew up a bridge in Sinpora in Matta tehsil, disconnecting the road network between Matta and Chitral, and a bomb disposal squad diffused two bombs that were planted on the Khwaz Khela Bridge. According to police, the weight of both the bombs was 80 kg. In another incident, the building of a basic health unit was blown up in Charbagh area. Militants had earlier destroyed the Pakistan Tourism Development hotel in Malam Jaba. The militants had planted five powerful bombs at the tourist resort. Meanwhile, fresh troops of the Pakistan Army have reached Swat and started preparations for a major operation, while security personnel arrested a man and his son during a raid in Malakand Agency. |