Bomb hits Pakistan minibus, 5 dead
MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan (AP) -- A roadside bomb blew up a minibus in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border on Monday, killing five passengers, including a 5-year old boy, and wounding three others, security officials said.
Meanwhile, security forces shot dead two suspected militants after a grenade attack wounded five soldiers in a town bazaar, also in North Waziristan.
The bomb that hit the minibus went off as it traveled on a dirt road in Tata Khel, a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Miran Shah, the main town in the region, a security official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job.
He said three people died at the scene while two died at a hospital, all of them civilians. Three others were injured.
The dead included a mother and her 5-year old son, he said.
Another powerful roadside bomb exploded Monday near a truck on a road in the border village of Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan, damaging the vehicle causing no casualties, he said.
Monday's grenade attack happened as troops were on a patrol in the bazaar in the town of Mir Ali, a local government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make media comments.
Troops opened fire on the two attackers, killing them, he said.
Islamic militants are active in North Waziristan. In recent years, Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops here and in other tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to track them down. Violence, however, only appears to be escalating.
Military officials have said Arab, Central Asian and Afghan militants are present in the area, but local pro-Taliban tribesmen have also stepped up resistance to military operations in the lawless region.
Last month, the military backed by helicopter gunships attacked several militant hide outs in Miran Shah and Mir Ali, triggering several days of fighting during which scores of militants were reportedly killed. The army also lost eight soldiers in that fighting.
Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in its war on terror.
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Five people are dead and three are injured after a roadside bomb blew up a minibus in rural Pakistan. According to a security officer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, a mother and her 5-year-old child are among the dead.

They were travelling in a minibus, which was on a dirt track in the village of Tata Khel, approximately 25km west of the town of Miran Shah. Of the eight individuals thought to be in the vehicle at the time, three died in the explosion, two died later in hospital and the remaining three are injured.

This attack comes at the same time as another similar incident, this time in the village of Ghulam Khan. In this bombing, the vehicle was damaged but there were no casualties. Another recent attack involved two militants who attacked troops with a grenade in the town of Mir Ali. Five soldiers were killed, and the two assailants were subsequently shot. All three incidents occurred in the troubled northern region of North Waziristan.

The Pakistani authorities have deployed thousands of troops to the affected area over the past few years, but as of yet any positive effects are hard to see.