At least 14 killed in spate of attacks in northwest Pakistan

Two bomb attacks and a gunfight between police and militants in northwest Pakistan killed at least 11 security personnel and three civilians, including a child, a security official said.

The separate incidents occurred yesterday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which left at least 25 others wounded, and come as Pakistan's security forces battle intensifying insurgencies in southern and northern provinces that border Afghanistan.

This month, the Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for a massive suicide blast at a Shi’ite mosque in the capital, Islamabad, that killed at least 31 people, with 169 more wounded.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the security official told AFP that yesterday evening, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the wall of a religious college in the tribal district of Bajaur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"As a result, eight police and Frontier Corps personnel present inside the seminary were martyred and 10 others injured," he said.

"The blast also caused the roofs of several nearby houses to collapse, killing a child."

He added that the death toll may rise.

In another attack in the town of Bannu, a bomb planted in a rickshaw exploded at the Miryan police station, killing two civilians and wounding 17 others, the official said.

Chinese targeted

Elsewhere, three police personnel and three militants were also killed during a search operation in Shangla district.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force said in a statement, also yesterday, that the three militants who died in the firefight had been involved in "attacks targeting Chinese nationals".

Beijing has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan in recent years, but Chinese-funded projects have sparked resentment, and their citizens have frequently come under attack.

In March last year, five Chinese nationals working on a major dam construction site were killed along with their driver when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle, which plunged into a deep ravine off the mountainous Karakoram Highway.

Beijing is Islamabad's closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbour.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy, and infrastructure projects -- part of Beijing's transnational "Belt and Road" scheme.

The police statement said "due to the area's proximity to the Silk Road route, (the militants) posed a persistent threat to the strategic road corridor and Chinese development projects."

"In light of this, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the district police launched a joint operation today under a coordinated strategy."