Militants kill Pakistan policemen

The Taleban are known to be active in the Hangu area

Suspected Taleban militants have killed three policemen and kidnapped three others in Pakistan, officials say.

The killings took place at a police checkpost in Hangu town in the troubled north-west hours after a curfew was imposed ahead of a Shia procession.

The Taleban, who are active in the area, recently imposed their version of Sharia law in parts of Hangu district.

Hangu has seen violent clashes in the past between Shias and Sunnis during the Shia religious ceremony of Ashura.

On this day, Shia Muslims commemorate the seventh century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussain.

The hard line Sunni Taleban say they consider the Shias heretical and "worthy of death".

'Indefinite curfew'

Suspected Taleban militants attacked the checkpost on the outskirts of Hangu - in North West Frontier Province - late on Tuesday night, police official Nek Nawaz told the BBC's Urdu service.

"They attacked the post with heavy weapons, killing three policemen and injuring one," he said. They disarmed the other three policemen and took them away with them, he added.

Hangu district police chief Sajjad Khan confirmed to the BBC on Tuesday evening that the town had been placed under an indefinite curfew to prevent any Ashura-related violence.

He said security had also been upgraded across town, and new checkposts erected to prevent "miscreants" from moving in and out of the city.

Tension has been on the rise in the area during the last couple of weeks, ahead of the approaching Ashura season.

Reports from the area say dozens of families living in areas with mixed Shia-Sunni populations have moved to the cities of Kohat and Peshawar to avoid possible hostilities.

In July last year, the military launched an operation against militants in Hangu district to curb what they said was their increased activity in the area.