Taliban suicide bomber kills six at Pakistani police station

A suicide bomb attack targeting a Pakistani police station Tuesday morning left six people, including two children dead, officials said.

Reuters

A man blew himself up in the town of Bannu, which lies close to Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border, an area which Washington has branded Al-Qaeda's global headquarters and the most dangerous region on Earth.

"It was a suicide attack. The bomber came on foot and detonated himself near a police van close to a police station," said Bannu police chief Iftikhar Khan.

"The death toll is now six. They include two boys aged seven and nine, one police official and three pedestrians. Nineteen people were injured," Khan said.

The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan are common since government forces raided a mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

The attacks, which have left around 4,000 dead have been blamed on Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked networks.