Suicide bomber kills five in northwest Pak

The attacker targeted Doaba police station in Hangu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. A policeman and four passers-by were killed in the attack, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mir Chaman Khan said. Nearly 30 injured people, including 11 policemen, were taken to two nearby hospitals, other officials said.

The bomber wanted to hit the police station building but was unable to do so because of barricades on the road leading to it, they said. Part of the police station collapsed after the blast, which also damaged 18 nearby shops, homes and several cars.

Police cordoned off the area and started a search operation soon after the blast. Local residents joined rescue teams to pull the bodies and the injured from the rubble.
Officials said nearly 200 kg of explosives was used in the attack for which no group has claimed responsibility.

Taliban militants, who are are very active in Hangu district, are usually blamed for such strikes and this was the second attack on police in the region in two days. Six policemen were injured when a police van was targeted with a roadside bomb yesterday.

The region, which borders the restive Orakzai and Kurram tribal areas, has been hit by sectarian violence and frequent militant attacks.