UPDATE - 7 Pakistani policemen killed in separate attacks

UPDATES HEADLINE, DECK; ADDS SUICIDE BOMBING, BACKGROUND

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least seven policemen were killed in separate attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday, including two in a suicide bombing at a security check post in the northeastern province of Punjab, officials said.

The suicide attack occurred at a post in the Bhakkar district, Punjab police chief Abdul Karim said in a statement.

Three civilians were injured in the attack, including two health workers of an anti-polio team, police said.

Earlier on Tuesday, militants attacked a police vehicle in the Kohat area of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.

At least five policemen, including a senior officer, and two civilians were killed, he said.

In a statement, Kohat District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi said three others were injured in the attack.

Over the past week, at least 16 security personnel, including a senior army officer, lost their lives in clashes and security operations against militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces.

According to the military, 53 militants were also killed during these operations and attacks.

In recent years, Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorism, with bombings and attacks targeting security personnel, law enforcement, and government installations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Islamabad has blamed Kabul for backing attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the latter denies.

Border skirmishes between the two countries have erupted since Sunday, when Pakistan said it struct seven "terrorist camps and hideouts" in Afghanistan. The Taliban administration, however, said civilians were killed in the strikes.