The incident, claimed by the Taliban, took place in Balyamina village, 10 kilometres (six miles) west of northwestern Hangu, a town regularly hit by sectarian violence and suffering from the effects of a Taliban-linked insurgency.
"One policeman was killed and seven others wounded, one of them critically when militants fired five rockets and shot at their van patrolling the village," police spokesman Fazal Naeem told AFP.
Naeem later said that the critically wounded policeman died in hospital.
A senior local police official, Abdul Rasheed, confirmed the incident.
Police rounded up 22 suspects in connection with the attack, Naeem said.
Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq claimed responsibility for the attack and said: "Our attacks will continue until (US) drone attacks and operations in tribal areas, which are killing innocent people, are stopped."
A covert US missile campaign in the tribal areas has escalated in recent months with Islamabad`s tacit agreement, despite public protestations.
Pakistan`s northwest and tribal areas have been wracked by violence since hundreds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters sought refuge there after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The government has claimed a number of military successes against the Islamist hardliners during the last two years, but attacks continue across the country and are concentrated in the northwest.
Pakistan launched its most ambitious military offensive yet against Taliban militants in South Waziristan in 2009, expanding the campaign to many of the other semi-autonomous tribal districts along the border.
Washington says that wiping out the militant threat in Pakistan`s tribal belt is vital to winning the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and defeating Al-Qaeda. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
