Bomb kills 9 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers near Afghan border
A roadside bomb killed nine Pakistani paramilitary soldiers on Thursday in a tribal region near the Afghan border, authorities said.
Pakistani authorities said Thursday\’s blast in the North Waziristan tribal agency was "planted by terrorists." Several other soldiers traveling in the convoy were wounded in the attack, which took place in the village of Ghulamkhan near the Afghan border.
Local officials say the army has sent helicopters to the region to target suspected militant hideouts.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. The area is a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan has released an FBI agent on bail, three days after he was detained for trying to carry ammunition onto a flight.
Joel Cox was arrested May 5 after authorities at the Karachi airport found he was carrying 15 bullets for a 9 millimeter handgun and three knives during routine checks. Authorities say he was bound for the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The US State Department confirmed that the arrested individual was an FBI agent, and that the US government was seeking his release.
"This individual detained is an employee of the FBI, who was on a temporary duty assignment to provide routine assistance to the legal attaché at the US mission," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in her daily briefing in Washington on Wednesday.
Cox was released on bail of Rs1,000,000 (about $10,000) by a Karachi court on Thursday evening. He was ordered to appear for further hearings.
Source: Agencies
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