Official says at least 5 killed, nearly 100 wounded in blast in Pakistani tribal area

Official: Large blast kills at least 5 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — A government official says at least five people were killed and nearly 100 wounded in a large explosion in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

Local administrator Noor Mohammad said the blast struck a commercial area in Yakaghund village in the Mohmand tribal region on Friday. A prison and some government offices are nearby.

The Pakistani army has carried out operations against Taliban fighters in Mohmand in recent years.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — 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.