Monday, April 3, 2006

Five people are dead and three are injured after a roadside bomb blew up a minibus in rural Pakistan. According to a security officer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, a mother and her 5-year-old child are among the dead.

They were travelling in a minibus, which was on a dirt track in the village of Tata Khel, approximately 25km west of the town of Miran Shah. Of the eight individuals thought to be in the vehicle at the time, three died in the explosion, two died later in hospital and the remaining three are injured.

This attack comes at the same time as another similar incident, this time in the village of Ghulam Khan. In this bombing, the vehicle was damaged but there were no casualties. Another recent attack involved two militants who attacked troops with a grenade in the town of Mir Ali. Five soldiers were killed, and the two assailants were subsequently shot. All three incidents occurred in the troubled northern region of North Waziristan.

The Pakistani authorities have deployed thousands of troops to the affected area over the past few years, but as of yet any positive effects are hard to see.