Three killed in Pakistan bomb explosion

A roadside bomb Thursday evening killed three paramilitary troopers in Pakistan's restive northwest, media reported.

"Three paramilitary soldiers were killed when they walked over an IED (improvised explosive device) planted on a roadside in Damadola area of Bajaur tribal district (around 125 miles northwest of Peshawar)," Geo TV reported citing an official.

The Frontier Corps (FC) troopers were believed to be returning to their camp after a routine patrol when they stumbled over the explosive device, the official said.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and its allied groups, have regularly targeted security forces in the northwest.

Pakistan has been battling militants in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004, after its army entered the region to search for Al Qaeda militants who had fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.