Six people, including three children and three soldiers, were killed in a suicide blast on Sunday in Pakistan’s restive North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, according to the Pakistani Army.
Three soldiers were also killed in the attack. Eleven more soldiers have been killed in North Waziristan in the past one month.
Six people, including three children and three soldiers, were killed in a suicide blast on Sunday in Pakistan’s restive North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, according to the Pakistani Army.
The attack was reported in the Miran Shah town, some 250 kms from Peshawar, said Pakistan military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement.
The ISPR said the children were aged between 4 to 11 years. It added, "Intelligence agencies are investigating to find out about (the) suicide bomber and his handlers/facilitators."
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the suicide attack and expressed grief over the lives lost. He offered his condolences to the families of the children in a statement.
"The killers of innocent children are the enemies of both Islam and humanity. We will not sit idle until this brutality is eradicated," said Sharif, vowing to punish the facilitators of the attacker.
He further said on Twitter, "Blood of our soldiers and citizens is a debt on us that we will repay by eradicating terrorism from our country."
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also condemned the attack and offered her condolences.
According to Radio Pakistan, the minister said miscreants wanted to "destabilise law and order in the country".
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also condemned the attack. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the blast.
Last month, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan district during a gun battle with terrorists.
On April 23, three soldiers were killed in the Dewagar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district during an exchange of fire with terrorists from across the Afghan border.
On April 14, eight Pakistani soldiers were killed in two incidents — seven in an ambush in Datakhel tehsil of North Waziristan tribal district and one in a clash with terrorists in Isham area of the district.
(With PTI inputs)