Death toll rises to 12 in attack on Pakistani police

LAHORE, Aug 23 (AFP): The death toll in a rocket launcher attack on policemen whose vehicle broke down in central Pakistan rose to twelve on Friday, police said.

Organised criminal gangs have been active in the riverine border areas of southern Sindh and central Punjab provinces for decades, often making money through kidnap-for-ransom assaults.

"At least twelve policemen were martyred, and eight others injured in the attack," police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains told AFP.

Two police vehicles carrying around 22 policemen were travelling through Rahim Yar Khan district in Punjab province on Thursday evening.