BUNER, Aug 9: Militants stormed a police post in village Kingargalai of the Buner district on Friday night, killing eight policemen.

Elders of the area alleged the Taliban based in Swat had engineered the killing to “create a law and order situation”.

They said several vehicles carrying 25 to 30 people pulled up at the post. At first three of them, clad in burqas, entered the post, urging the policemen to lodge a complaint of harassment against unidentified people.

It was not long before the other militants followed them along with three children, aged between nine and 11 and wearing suicide jackets.

The sources said the militants told policemen: “We all are Muslim brothers and want justice.” However, the militants snatched their weapons, tied their hands and made them stand in a queue.

The militants then started shooting at the policemen with assault rifles, killing all of them on the spot.

The dead were identified as Payoo Khan, Abdul Wahab Shah, Sarzameen Khan, Laiq Shah, Syed Faroosh, Sajjidullah, Mushtaq and Noor Wali Khan.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban claimed carrying out the attack. Haji Muslim Khan, a spokesman, told newsmen in Mingora: “Our men attacked the post and shot dead the policemen.”

He said “we would continue targeting government functionaries till the withdrawal of troops from Swat”.

According to sources, out of 16 policemen posted at the checkpoint, eight were away at the time of the shooting.

The inspector in charge and a constable were on routine patrol, four had gone for prayers and two were at an adjacent kitchen for dinner.