Deaths in Pakistan market blast

At least 14 killed after blast rips through market in Khyber tribal district near border with Afghanistan

A bomb blast has ripped through a market area in a northwest Pakistan tribal town near the Afghan border, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 50, officials said.

The blast took place in the main bazaar of Landi Kotal town in Khyber tribal district, according to local administration official Arshad Khan.
 “The bomb exploded near a bus stand,” Khan told AFP news agency.

Khan said the blast appeared to be aimed at members of the pro-government Zakha Khel tribe, who oppose a local warlord.

Nobody claimed responsibility but fighters have carried out several attacks in the area.

Since 2007 Pakistan has been battling Taliban fighters and other armed groups in tribal areas of the country’s northwest, which has become a haven for fighters battling Afghan and international forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Bomb attacks in thre region have killed more than 5,000 people in the past five years, according to an AFP tally.

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