6 killed, 13 injured in NW Pakistan blast

KARACHI, Pakistan

An explosion in northwest Pakistan killed at least six people and injured over a dozen others on Monday, while security forces also killed another 17 militants who were allegedly attempting to cross into the country from neighboring Afghanistan, officials said.

The blast took place near the office of a “peace committee” in Wana, the headquarters of the restive South Waziristan tribal district, which sits on the Afghanistan border.

There was no immediate word on the nature of the explosion or the claim of responsibility.

Thirteen injured, some critically, were transported to the local hospital, according to the police.

The explosion occurred following the killing of 71 suspected militants who were allegedly attempting to enter the North Waziristan tribal district from neighboring Afghanistan over the previous three days, according to a statement released by the Pakistani army on Monday.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the blast, saying such "cowardly" attacks cannot derail the country's fight against terrorism.

South Waziristan is the birthplace of the outlawed Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a conglomerate of several militant groups operating in Pakistan.