'Suicide attack kills 4 at Pak press club'

A suicide bomber attacked a club for journalists in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing four people in a first such attack targeting media offices, officials said.

A suicide bomber attacked a club for journalists in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing four people in a first such attack targeting media offices, officials said.

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Bomb and suicide attacks frequently strike the city of 2.5 million people on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border that Washington calls the chief sanctuary of al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth.

The force of the explosion blew out the windows in the imposing red brick building, damaging the guard hut outside and nearby vehicles, said police.

"It was a suicide attack. The bomber wanted to enter the building. The police official at the gate stopped him and he blew himself up," senior police official Karim Khan told AFP.

The city's main Lady Reading Hospital said four people were killed, including a policeman and a press club employee.

"We have received four bodies and 17 injured," Doctor Zafar Iqbal told AFP.

Police said four journalists were among the wounded.

"The guard room outside the gate was badly damaged. Three motorcycles parked inside the compound and one bus on the other side of the road were damaged. Almost all windows of the building were shattered," said Khan.

Militant attacks have killed more than 2,700 people since July 2007 and Washington is pressuring Pakistan to do more to crack down on al-Qaeda and stop militants crossing the border to attack Western troops in Afghanistan.