Policeman shot dead by TTP-affiliated terrorists in northwest Pakistan

As the militants tried to flee, local residents and police pursued them, killing one in an exchange of fire, police said.

A Pakistani policeman was shot dead by affiliates of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Monday.

The TTP terrorists gunned down the policeman in the Lakki Marwat district of the province. (AFP/File)

The TTP terrorists gunned down the policeman in the Lakki Marwat district of the province.

As the militants tried to flee, local residents and police pursued them, killing one in an exchange of fire, police said.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan.

The group, believed to be close to al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.