Islamabad, Dec 27 (DPA) An explosion tore through the house of a government employee in Pakistan’s troubled Kurram tribal district Sunday, killing him and five other family members, an official said.
The blast occurred at the hone of Sarfraz Khan, a draftsman, in Sadda town, 35 km southeast of the district’s main city of Parachinar.
Khan, his wife and four children died in the bombing, local official Saifullah said. One girl was also injured.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion fell on Islamist militants seeking revenge for ongoing military operations against them in the region.
Several hundred Taliban militants are believed to have taken refuge in Kurram and other nearby areas after fleeing a major offensive in the adjoining South Waziristan tribal district.
More than 30,000 soldiers backed by jet aircraft and attack helicopters launched the operation in South Waziristan on Oct 17.
The army says more than 600 rebels and 81 soldiers have been killed during the offensive.
Private Samaa news channel reported that the death toll from an overnight US missile strike in the North Waziristan district rose to 13 Sunday.
Two missiles struck a suspected Taliban hideout in the Saidgai area Saturday evening, destroying the compound.
Initial reports said five people died in the raid but eight more bodies were pulled from the rubble Sunday.
