Bandits armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades have ambushed a police convoy in the Punjab province in eastern Pakistan, killing at least 11 officers and wounding seven others, officials have said.
The attack happened on Thursday in the Rahim Yar Khan district when the police officers were passing through a deserted area in a patrol targeting robbers who operate in the region, Punjabi police said.
There has been a surge in attacks by militants in Pakistan in recent years but such a high number of police casualties in a single attack is rare.
Pakistani security forces often carry out operations against bandits in the eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, where they hide in rural, forested areas.
The interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, denounced the attack, expressing his deep sorrow and describing the slain officers as martyrs.
He prayed for the early recovery of the seven wounded officers, and ordered authorities to take immediate and effective action against the attackers.