Islamabad: A suicide bomber blew himself up near a security check post in the northwestern Pakistani city of Bannu today, killing a policeman and injuring five others.

The bomber, who detonated his explosives when police tried to stop him from entering the check post located within the city's military area, also died, officials said.

Witnesses said the attacker came to the check post in a cycle-rickshaw and wanted to enter inside but police foiled his attempt. He then blew himself up.

TV channels put the death toll at three, including two policemen. The district police chief, however, said only one policeman had died. The injured were taken to the city's military hospital.

Security forces cordoned off the area after the attack and did not allow reporters to go to the blast site. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The authorities blame pro-Taliban militants, who regularly target the Pakistani security forces, especially in the country's northwest, for such attacks.

The suicide attack came days after the Pakistani Taliban pulled out of peace talks with the new government, saying the authorities had refused to accede to their demand to withdraw troops from the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

This was the second attack on security forces in northwestern Pakistan in two days following the end of the peace talks and a unilateral ceasefire called by the Taliban.

A soldier was injured when Taliban militants attacked an army patrol in the South Waziristan tribal region yesterday.

Today's suicide bombing was the first such attack in nearly two months. Pakistan witnessed a series of devastating suicide bombings since last year, including the one that killed former premier Benazir Bhutto last year.
Source : PTI