Islamabad, Jan 18 (PTI) In the first terrorist attack in Islamabad this year, a policeman was killed and two others were injured after two militants riding a motorcycle opened fire at a check post, officials said on Tuesday.

The militants were also killed in the overnight shootout which took place in the Karachi Company area of the heavily guarded capital, the Islamabad Police said in a statement.

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The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a statement took responsibility for the attack.

A policeman was killed, while two others were wounded, the police statement said, adding that the two militants were also killed in the retaliatory fire.

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Confirming the incident, Interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said it was the "first terrorist attack of this year and we need to say alert”.

“It is a signal that terrorist activities have started in Islamabad,” he said.

The TTP has been involved in several attacks against the security forces and civilians. The group announced a month-long ceasefire following talks with the government. But the temporary ceasefire ended on Dec 9 after the two sides failed to make any headway.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)