At least 10 policemen were killed in Pakistan and six more wounded when gunmen attacked a police station in the country’s north-west, officials said on Monday.

The attack came amid an uptick in violence ahead of this week’s national elections.

The gunmen overran the police station in the town of Dera Ismail Khan in a pre-dawn attack, local official Mohamed Afzal said.

He said the attackers first threw hand grenades at the building before starting a gun battle with the police that lasted for several hours.

The attack, the deadliest in weeks, came days ahead of Pakistan’s national elections scheduled for Thursday.

Violence by Islamist militants has surged in recent months ahead of the vote.

The north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that borders Afghanistan has seen a steady rise in violence by militants since the Taliban once again took power in Afghanistan. 

(dpa/NAN)