7 killed in armed attack in NW Pakistan

Seven members of a pro-government peace committee were killed and another was injured in an armed attack in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Friday, reported Xinhua.

According to the police, heavily armed militants attacked a peace committee center in the Bannu district late Thursday, triggering an exchange of fire that lasted several hours. A police official told Xinhua that seven committee members were killed on the spot, while another sustained critical injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital.

Security forces have stepped up patrols in the area and launched a search operation following the incident, the official added.

No group has claimed the attack so far.