6 killed in Pakistan suicide blast

A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police van in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 17 others, police said.

A suicide bomber blew himself up close to a police van in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 17 others, police said.

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The blast took place in Bannu close to the Afghan border, said officer Nawaz Khan said.

He said that initial reports suggested the attacker was on foot. Police officer Iftikar Khan said that one of the six victims was a police officer, while the rest were civilians.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. Islamist militants seeking to topple Pakistan's US-allied government have carried out scores of attacks across the country, killing thousands, over the last four years. The military has launched offensives in the northwest where the insurgents are based, but the attacks have continued.