By DPA,
Islamabad : At least 17 civilians, including five schoolchildren, were killed and several others were injured Saturday in a foiled suicide attack on paramilitary troops in Pakistan’s restive tribal region, a media report said.
Soldiers fired at an explosives-laden vehicle chasing their convoy in a busy market in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan district that borders Afghanistan.
The shots caused the vehicle to explode, killing 17 passersby, including five schoolchildren, Geo television channel reported.
It was not immediately clear whether the security personnel suffered any casualties.
The explosion came hours after a suspected US drone strike killed 13 people, including Taliban and al Qaeda militants, in the Datta Khel area, 35 km west of Miranshah.