Bomb Blast Kills 9 in NW Pakistan

Posted August 25th, 2011 at 3:55 pm (UTC-5)
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A bomb explosion late Thursday at a crowded market in the town of Risalpur in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province killed at least nine people and wounded 12 others.

Local officials said the bomb, planted on a bicycle, went off as people were shopping for the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid. They said the blast damaged several shops and a nearby hotel.

Militants have carried out a number of attacks in Pakistan's northwest despite operations by Pakistan's military in the tribal regions.

In southwestern Baluchistan province Thursday, a suspected U.S. surveillance drone crashed in the town of Chaman near the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials said the aircraft carried cameras and other equipment, but no weapons. They said it most likely came down because of a technical problem. The crash caused no damage on the ground.

Officials said the drone was a U.S. aircraft, but the information could not be independently verified. Pakistan also operates a small fleet of reconnaissance drones.

U.S. officials do not publicly acknowledge the use of drone strikes inside Pakistan but privately have confirmed their existence to various news outlets. Pakistan has condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty, but the drone strikes are believed to be carried out with the help of Pakistani intelligence.