A series of attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 14 people, including security forces and civilians, as militants target police and Chinese interests.

PESHAWAR: A spate of attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 14 people on Monday. The violence, which left 25 others wounded, included two bombings and a gunfight between police and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

A security official, speaking anonymously, detailed the separate incidents. The deadliest was a suicide vehicle bombing at a religious college in the tribal district of Bajaur.

The bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the seminary’s wall. “As a result, eight police and Frontier Corps personnel present inside the seminary were martyred and 10 others injured,” the official said.

The blast also caused nearby houses to collapse, killing a child. The official warned the death toll may rise.

In a second bombing in Bannu town, an explosive device planted in a rickshaw detonated at the Miryan police station. That attack killed two civilians and wounded 17 others.

In Shangla district, a police search operation triggered a firefight. Three police personnel and three militants were killed in the clash.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police stated the slain militants had been involved in “attacks targeting Chinese nationals”. Chinese citizens and projects in Pakistan have frequently been attacked in recent years.

The police statement linked the threat to China’s regional investments. “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,” it said.

The operation was a joint effort by the Counter Terrorism Department and district police. The attacks occur amid intensifying insurgencies in Pakistan’s provinces bordering Afghanistan.

This month, the Islamic State group claimed a major suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad. That attack killed at least 31 people.

 The Sun Malaysia