Bomb kills six on way to school in northwest Pakistan

By Jibran Ahmad

PESHAWAR Pakistan (Reuters) – A roadside bomb killed six people travelling to school in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said, as the military reported further air strikes against the Taliban.

The violence underscored the myriad of challenges facing the Pakistani government, which is struggling to control political protests in the capital at the same time the military is engaged in an offensive against Pakistani Taliban fighters in the northwest.

The roadside bomb killed ‎three female school teachers, two schoolgirls and a driver, officials said. Their van was travelling through Tangi village in the troubled Bajaur tribal region. Local government official Naeem Gul said all the victims died immediately.

The area is close to the Afghan border and Pakistani militants frequently cross over from havens in Afghanistan to mount attacks.

No militant group claimed responsibility for the bomb.

Elsewhere in another troubled tribal region, Pakistani jets pounded a militant hideout, killing eight militants, security officials said.

The bombardment is part of a two-month old anti-Taliban military offensive in the remote border region of North Waziristan.

The military has pledged to clear the area of insurgents but residents said most militants moved out well in advance of the operation.

(Additional reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Haji Mujtaba in Bannu; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)