Pakistan: 17 killed, several injured in clashes, bombing

At least 17 people have been killed and several others injured in a bomb attack and fighting in Pakistan, Press TV reports. In the southern province of Sindh, three people were killed and several others injured in the bomb attack during the early hours of Wednesday. The bomb had been planted under a railway track in the town of Odano. Two trains were also derailed in the bombing. Separately, in the Bajur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, three soldiers and 11 militants were killed during clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants late on Tuesday. According to security officials, the fighting was part of an operation led by the Pakistani army to drive back Taliban militants who occupied the village of Batwar in Bajur. Officials also said that seven hideouts were destroyed in the operation. Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001, when Pakistan joined an alliance with the United States in Washington’s so-called war on terror. Since late 2009, there has been a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan and thousands more have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.