Suicide bomber kills police officer, his guard in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck a vehicle carrying the deputy provincial police chief in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, killing him and his guard and wounding six others, police said.

The bombing targeted Ashraf Noor, who also holds the rank of inspector-general of police, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, senior police officer Shaukat Khan said. He said Noor was going to his office in Peshawar when the attacker rammed his vehicle with his motorcycle.

Khan said police officers escorting Noor’s vehicle saw a man on a motorcycle hitting Noor’s vehicle, which quickly caught fire.

TV footage showed the burning vehicle as firefighters struggled to douse the flames.

No group immediately claimed responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State group have been accused by authorities for previous such attacks in various parts of the country.

Peshawar is the capital of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where authorities have carried our several operations against militants, but violence has continued.