Suspected Islamic militants fired a barrage of rockets into a town in northwest Pakistan Wednesday, killing at least nine civilians.
Homes were destroyed and around 40 people were wounded during the attack in Bannu, a town in Pakistan's troubled Northwest Frontier Province. That area is where the United States says Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network has set up safe havens.
Pakistan has seen a wave of militant attacks and suicide bombings since security forces raided a radical mosque in Islamabad. More than 100 people were killed in the operation, including a top cleric.
On Tuesday, a top Taleban militant blew himself up to avoid arrest by Pakistani forces who had surrounded his hideout in the southwestern Baluchistan province.
Pakistani officials called Abdullah Mehsud's death a major achievement for the government as it faces U.S. pressure to crack down on extremists.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
