Taliban kill policewoman, 5 of her family members in Pakistan

After blowing up a number of girl schools, Taliban militants today turned their fury on policewomen, killing a head constable and five of her family members, including three children, in an attack on her home in northwest Pakistan.

Using heavy weaponry like rockets and assault rifles, about 12 Taliban militants stormed the home of head constable Shamshad Begum in the restive Hangu district of Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province, officials said.

They first bombed her home by a rocket and then launched a frontal assault, firing indiscriminately, killing Shamshad Begum, her two sons and a daughter, and two sisters-in-law.

Shamshad Begum's two other sons and another daughter were injured in the attack.

She had received several death threats from the Taliban, who are opposed to girls' education and working women.

She recently received a letter from the militants asking her to quit her job.

Hangu district borders the lawless Kurram tribal region, where hundreds of people have died in sectarian clashes over the past three years.