Assailants burn down 11 schools in Pakistan

Assailants in apparently coordinated attacks burnt down 11 schools for boys and girls in Pakistan's north before fleeing, a local police officer and residents say.

Police officer Mohammad Bashir says the attacks on schools took place before dawn Friday near the northern town of Chilas, but there were no casualties as the schools were closed at the time, reports AP.

No group claimed responsibility for setting fire to schools in various villages near but previous such incidents have been blamed on local militants.

Chilas police chief Ajmal Khan says officers have opened investigations to determine who was behind the incident, which spread panic among residents there.