Islamabad: At least four Pakistani policemen were killed and four others injured in the terrorist attack on a newly-constructed police station in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

The Bargai police station in Laki Marwat bordering the south Waziristan tribal district was attacked by terrorists carrying lethal weapons, including hand grenades and rocket launchers, police said.

“There was a fierce exchange of fire between the police and terrorists in which the attackers threw hand grenades and rockets toward the police station,” police official said, as reported by Express Tribune.

The policemen engaged the militants for almost 45 minutes after which the attackers escaped. A heavy police contingent launched a search operation in the area to track down the suspects.

Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Mehmud Khan, condemned the attack and asked the Inspector General Police for a report on the incident.

President Arif Alvi also expressed his condolences to the grieving families and condemned the attack saying ”our efforts will continue until the complete elimination of the remnants of terrorism”.

Although no group has taken responsibility for the attack, the police suspect the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the group is known to operate in the area.

The TTP, a separate entity from the Taliban in Afghanistan but sharing a similar hardline ideology, has been responsible for hundreds of attacks and thousands of deaths in Pakistan since emerging in 2007.

Last month, militants attacked a police patrol vehicle, killing all six policemen in the same area. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the ambush.