Bomb Rocks Northwestern Pakistan

A suicide car bomb attack in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least 30 people, including some children.

Investigators say the bomb exploded Tuesday on a busy street near a market in the city of Charsadda, some 40 kilometers north of Peshawar.

The blast wounded dozens of people and destroyed several buildings.

It was the third bombing in the area in three days.

On Monday, a suicide bomber in a rickshaw blew himself up at a checkpoint in Peshawar, killing three people. A suicide bomber killed 13 people in a crowded market outside the city on Sunday.

Also Monday, officials said a roadside bomb killed two paramilitary troops in the Bajaur tribal region, while fighter jets attacked suspected militant hideouts in three villages in the Kurram agency, killing eight suspected militants.

Separately, a Taliban spokesman says the militants are waging a guerrilla war from the South Waziristan region where the Pakistani army has launched an anti-Taliban offensive.

The army claims it has killed more than 480 militants since launching the offensive in mid-October.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani military said Tuesday that troops killed nine militants and uncovered a private Taliban jail in South Waziristan.

A statement released by the military also says troops destroyed a number of caves, bunkers, towers and observation posts used by the militants.

Pakistani officials say the operations took place in areas that are strongholds of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a network of at least 13 groups responsible for many attacks in Pakistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.