Explosion kills 3 security personnel in NW Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

At least three security personnel were killed on Sunday in a roadside bomb explosion in northwestern Pakistan, near its border with Afghanistan, local sources confirmed.

The improvised explosive device (IED) went off when the army's bomb disposal squad was clearing an area near a health center in North Waziristan, a local political administration official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Security forces cordoned off the area after the explosion and launched a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, however outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for previous attacks in the region.

North Waziristan -- one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan -- has been a battleground between the army and the Taliban since June 2014 following the launch of a full-scale military operation.