Official says large explosion hits Pakistan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, several killed

Official: Deadly blast hits Pakistan tribal area

ISLAMABAD — A large explosion ripped through a village in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan where the Pakistani army has fought the Taliban, killing several people Friday, an official said.

Dozens more were wounded in the blast, whose exact cause was unclear, said Noor Mohammad, an official in the Mohmand tribal region. A prison and some government offices also were near the blast scene in Yakaghund village.

Mohmand is one of several areas in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt where Taliban and Al-Qaida are believed to be hiding. The Pakistani army has carried out operations in Mohmand, but it has been unable to extirpate the militants.

Many of the victims Friday were transported to a hospital in Peshawar, the main city in Pakistan’s northwest, Mohammad said. Police were investigating whether a suicide bomber was involved.