Three killed in Orakzai blast

Land mine exploded when a vehicle was passing on the road; two security personnel among the dead.

ORAKZAI: An improvised explosive device planted by militants went off in the town of Ibrahimzai of Orakzai during a routine patrol by paramilitary soldiers, a security official said.

"Two soldiers and one civilian were killed in the blast," Abdul Qadir, a local administration official, told AFP.

Seven other people - one soldier and six civilians - were wounded in the explosion near the bazaar in Ibrahimzai, he said.

A military official in the provincial capital Peshawar confirmed the incident, saying the wounded had been taken to the local hospital.

This is the latest attack in a series of bombings by militants in the northwestern regions in the recent past. The government says the military has scored major gains against Taliban militants in a series of offensives in the lawless tribal areas, including Orakzai, but militants continue to carry out bombings.