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Pakistani Taliban: Married suicide bombers helped kill 10 policemen

From Nasir Habib, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Pakistani Taliban spokesman: Many married couples are ready for suicide bombing
  • Ten police officers were slain in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday
  • Three suicide bombers were among six militants killed

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani Taliban said two of the three suicide bombers who killed 10 police officers Saturday in northwestern Pakistan were a married Uzbek couple.

Ihsan Ullah Ihsan, a spokesman for Pakistani Taliban, told CNN by phone Monday that the group has many married couples ready for suicide bombing.

Ten militants assaulted a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the province's information minister.

Hussain said 15 policemen were taken hostage, and an exchange of fire ensued between the attackers and security forces.

Imtiaz Shah, a senior police official of Dera Ismail Khan, said 10 policemen were eventually killed and 20 others were injured. Shah said security forces killed six militants, three of whom were suicide bombers.

Northwestern Pakistan -- including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the neighboring tribal region -- is a volatile stretch with a strong presence of militants.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was formally known as North West Frontier Province.

Journalist Nasir Dawar and CNN's Aliza Kassim contributed to this report