Bomb kills five in Bajaur: Officials

KHAR: At least five people were killed and two injured when a pickup truck hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mamond subdivision of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday, official sources said.

Mamond Tehsildar Faramosh told The Express Tribune that the incident took place in the Gotki Bazaar close to the Pak-Afghan border.

“A search operation has been launched in the area,” Faramosh said.

The names of those killed and injured could not be ascertained. Mamond tribe has raised a peace militia against militants in the area.

Bajaur was the scene of major anti-Taliban offensives in August 2008 and in February 2009, and the military has repeatedly declared the district secure.

Pakistan has for years battled insurgents in the tribal belt. More than 3,000 soldiers have died but Pakistan has resisted US pressure to do more to eliminate havens used by insurgents fighting the Americans in Afghanistan.