Updated

A senior Pakistani police officer says a roadside bombing has struck a vehicle carrying police commandos in northwestern Pakistan, wounding eight officers.

The official, Shaukat Khan, says Thursday's attack took place on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He says two of the wounded officers were reported to be in critical condition.

Shortly after the attack, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Mohammad Khurasani claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Roadside bombings are frequent in Pakistan's northwest, where the military has been carrying out operations against militants for the past several years.

Pakistan is a U.S. ally in the war on terror since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The army says so far that about 18,000 civilians and 5,000 soldiers have been killed in militant attacks in Pakistan.