Blast kills 8 in Pakistani tribal region

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A powerful explosion destroyed a militant compound and killed up to eight people Monday in a volatile tribal region where Pakistan security forces are waging an offensive against pro-Taliban militants, residents said. A militant spokesman claimed it was a missile strike launched from neighboring Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO forces are based, but there was no official confirmation of such an attack. The blast in Khyber hit a compound owned by a supporter of Haji Namdar, a local militant leader whose Vice and Virtue Movement is suspected of cross-border assaults.