Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan told reporters by

phone that suicide bombers were involved in the attack, which was launched to avenge the killings of militants who were in the custody of authorities. Officials said the Taliban militants fired rockets before attempting to storm the police station. Bannu, which lies between the settled area of Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa and the restive North Waziristan tribal region, has witnessed several militant attacks in recent years. Three persons were killed and nine others injured when a vehicle carrying pro-government militia was targeted with an improvised explosive device in Orkazai tribal region, officials said. Personnel from the Khasadar militia cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.