18 February 2010 - 20H10  

Bomb blast kills five near Pakistan militant base
Pakistani soldiers during a military operation against militants in the Khyber tribal region in December 2008. A bomb attack near a mosque and a base used by homegrown militants in Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border killed at least five people on Thursday, security officials said.
Pakistani soldiers during a military operation against militants in the Khyber tribal region in December 2008. A bomb attack near a mosque and a base used by homegrown militants in Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border killed at least five people on Thursday, security officials said.

AFP - A bomb attack near a mosque and a base used by homegrown militants in Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border killed at least five people on Thursday, security officials said.

A militant commander was among those killed in the attack in Upper Tirah in Khyber, the infamous mountain district that straddles a major supply line for NATO troops in Afghanistan and is a hotbed of Taliban-linked militants.

"A bomb blast took place outside Dars mosque in Upper Tirah area. We have reports that five people, including a militant commander, were killed in the blast," Rahat Khan, a local administrative official told AFP by telephone.

Two intelligence officials also confirmed the bomb blast and casualties, saying the target was a base of Lashkar e-Islam, a homegrown militant group that has been the target of Pakistani military operations in Khyber.

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