Quetta, Sep 11 (IANS) A constable was killed, and another was seriously injured after unidentified assailants targeted a checkpost in Kank area of Mastung district of Pakistan's Balochistan province, local media reported on Friday.

According to police, the unidentified assailants targetted the checkpost on Thursday before escaping from the spot after an exchange of fire with the police personnel stationed there, Pakistan-based daily Dawn reported.

A constable was killed while another was injured in the attack. After the attack, police and security personnel cordoned off the area and began a search operation to find the attackers.

The incident took place amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, particularly the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On Wednesday, a police personnel was killed, and another was injured after unidentified assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported.

District Police Officer (DPO) Imran Khan said that a constable was killed and another was injured when their vehicle was targeted during routine patrols in the Shatakai Dam area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district. The injured police personnel were taken to hospital for treatment, Pakistan-based another daily The Express Tribune reported.

Following the attack, additional police personnel cordoned off the area, and authorities launched a search and strike operation to find the attackers.

On August 9, a police officer was killed, and another was injured after armed assailants attacked them in the Saeedkhel area of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported.

District police officer’s spokesperson Qudratullah Khan said that the armed assailants opened fire on police personnel near the Saeedkhel graveyard while they were patrolling the area. He said that the deceased police personnel's body and the injured policeman were taken to the hospital. Following the attack, police launched a search operation to find the perpetrators responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, a monthly security assessment by Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), has revealed that 199 terrorist attacks were reported in Pakistan in August, in comparison to 144 in July, Dawn reported. The 199 attacks reported in August claimed 158 lives and injured 181 people, compared to 268 deaths and 216 injuries in July.

--IANS

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