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Global

Bomb attack on Pakistani police kills 11


    ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A car bomb blew up as a Pakistani police bus travelled across a bridge in the country's northwest on Thursday, killing 11 people, police said.

    The attack happened near Bannu town in North West FrontierProvince, near the border with Afghanistan, where Islamistmilitants have been attacking security forces regularly.

    "The vehicle was going to pick up prisoners and as itreached a bridge an explosive-laden car exploded and nine ofour policemen and two passers-by were killed," said deputydistrict police chief Masood Afridi.

    Police initially said a suspected suicide bomber had rammedhis vehicle into the bus, which had been carrying prisoners,but Afridi said the bomb was set off by remote control.

    A doctor at Bannu's hospital said 12 wounded people hadbeen brought in for treatment.

    (Reporting by Kamran Haider and Augustine Anthony; Editingby Robert Birsel and Jerry Norton)