Suicide blast outside airport

A suicide bomber blew himself up after he was stopped by security personnel at the gate of a key airport in Pakistan's northwestern Swat valley on Wednesday.

A suicide bomber blew himself up after he was stopped by security personnel at the gate of a key airport in Pakistan's northwestern Swat valley on Wednesday.

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The bomber, who was in a Suzuki car, was signalled to stop at a gate of the Saidu Sharif airport at around 10 pm today but did not do so, official spokesman Amjad Iqbal told state-run APP agency.

Security forces then opened fire at the tyres of the vehicle, following which the driver blew himself up. No security personnel were injured in the blast.

The area around Saidu Sharif has witnessed intense fighting between militant followers of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah and security forces in the past few weeks.