By Amena Khokhar, KUNA,
Islamabad : At least nine persons were killed and 15 others were wounded in an explosion in a Pakistani tribal agency where forces were conducting a wide-scale security operation.
Explosives stored in the basement of a militants’ center in Bara town of Khyber tribal agency exploded with a huge bang early on Monday, official sources told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
They said the explosion killed at least nine persons and wounded 15 others. Earlier, there were reports that it was a missile attack. However, sources said the explosion was triggered by explosive materials.
They said most of the killed persons were prisoners of militants, who had been held in a chamber in the basement of the building.
Pakistani forces have been conducting a hunt-down operation against the militants in the agency since Saturday.
During the operation, they have destroyed several hideouts and centers of militants, who were also planning to expand their activities to Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).