Nine killed in attacks in Pakistan

PESHAWAR — Nine people, including policemen, were killed and dozens wounded in two separate bomb and gun attacks in Pakistan's volatile northwest on Tuesday, police said, a week after the Taliban refused to extend a ceasefire with the government.

Nine people, including policemen, were killed and dozens wounded in two separate bomb and gun attacks in Pakistan's volatile northwest on Tuesday, police said, a week after the Taliban refused to extend a ceasefire with the government.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took power last year promising to end years of fighting with Taliban insurgents through peace negotiations. Talks began in February but have achieved little.

On Tuesday, three people were killed and 33 others, including 12 policemen, were wounded in a bombing in the Charsadda district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province during the morning rush hour.

On April 16, the Pakistani Taliban formally ended a 40-day ceasefire, saying government forces had continued to arrest their men and killed more than 50 people associated with the insurgency.

The Taliban have been fighting for years to overthrow the democratically elected government of Pakistan and impose strict Islamic law on the nation of 180 million people.