3 killed in IED blast on wedding in NW Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

At least three people were killed and 30 others injured on Friday by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan, near its border with Afghanistan, local officials confirmed.

“The IED went off in a house in the Saidgai area of North Waziristan where hundreds of people were gathered for a wedding ceremony,” a local political administrative official told Anadolu Agency on the phone on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The 30 injured include five children, the official added.

The wounded have been taken to the Miram Shah and Bannu hospitals, where some are reportedly in critical condition.

After the explosion, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the outlawed Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on security forces and civilians in the region.

North Waziristan -- one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan -- has been a battleground between the army and the Taliban since June 2014, following the launch of a full-scale military operation.

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

The 30 injured include five children, the official added.

The wounded have been taken to the Miram Shah and Bannu hospitals, where some are reportedly in critical condition.

After the explosion, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the outlawed Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on security forces and civilians in the region.