Militant Attack on Pakistan Police Station Kills 2, Taliban Denies Ceasefire

Islamist militants armed with rockets and grenades attacked a Pakistani police station before dawn on Wednesday, killing two officers and wounding seven others, police said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault in Darbaan Kalan, west of Dera Ismail Khan, a flashpoint for sectarian violence in the northwest, and denied they were in peace talks with the government.

"They killed two policemen and injured seven others," district police officer Sohail Khaliq told Agence France Presse.

"There were around 10-12 militants, who came in vehicles and used grenades, rockets and firing during the attack. They fled in the same vehicles when police resisted."

Niaz Ahmed, duty officer at the targeted station, confirmed the attack.

Islamist militants opposed to the U.S.-allied government, particularly the nebulous Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) network, have carried out bomb and gun attacks killing more than 4,700 people across Pakistan since July 2007.

The army and main TTP spokesman strongly deny reports of peace talks between the militants and the government, and attacks and violence continue on a near-daily basis in northwest Pakistan.

"We accept the responsibility of the attack on a police station in Dera Ismail Khan (district)," the TTP's main spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told AFP.

"We are not talking to the government and will not be part of any dialogue with the government. This is a clear message for those who are thinking that we are involved in negotiations."

The attack came two days after a senior Pakistani Taliban commander said the group declared a cease-fire across the country a month ago to encourage nascent peace talks with the government.