Deadly bomb strikes Pakistan city

A bomb has exploded in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar, killing at least nine people and injuring others, police say.

The bomb exploded on a busy street in the city's Kashkal area, a police official told AP news agency.

A number of other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals after the explosion, he said.

It came after officials in Islamabad said at least 10 people were killed by a suspected US drone in North Pakistan.

The unmanned aircraft fired missiles at a building and a vehicle in the North Waziristan tribal region. The officials said two foreign militants were among those killed, and several more people were injured.

Islamic school hit?
The Peshawar bomb exploded near a school bus in a busy street, police said.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Following the drone attack, there was no comment from US forces, but in the past they have used drones to target al-Qaeda militants.

Pakistani officials said the attack took place in the Khaisor area of North Waziristan - a region populated by ethnic Pashtuns.
One report quoted officials as saying the building hit was an Islamic school, but others described it as a compound or house.
On Tuesday, at least eight people were killed when a suspected US drone destroyed a house in Sra Khawra village in nearby South Waziristan district.
There are estimated to have been more than 30 strikes by US forces based in Afghanistan since August. Some 340 people are reported to have been killed, most in the North and South Waziristan tribal regions.

The Pakistan government has criticised the attacks, saying that civilians are among the casualties and that the raids boost support for the militants.
The American military has in the past announced the killing of several al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's border area but seldom confirms the use of drones.
The latest violence comes as Pakistan's army continues its offensive against Taleban rebels in the Swat valley in country's north-west. Nearly one million people have fled from heavy fighting in the past two weeks, the UN says.

The UNHCR says the crisis could destabilise the entire region unless there is a massive response from the international community. It is expected to launch an emergency appeal for Pakistan in the next few days. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, has described the situation as the country's worst refugee crisis since the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 at the end of colonial rule.

(BBC)