Soldier killed in Pakistan attack

There has been a surge in suicide attacks in Pakistan

At least one soldier has been killed and nine others injured in a suspected suicide bombing in north-western Pakistan, police say.

The bomber targeted an army check post in the town of Doaba in Hangu district in North West Frontier Province early on Tuesday, officials said.

One report said that the bomber drove up in a car and detonated explosives. No one has claimed responsibility.

The Taleban are blamed for a wave of suicide bomb attacks in recent months.

The latest attack came a day after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met the new head of US Central Command, Gen David Petraeus, in Islamabad to take stock of the "war on terror".

Reports said that the town of Doaba, where the attack took place, has a history of militant and sectarian violence.

A police official told the AFP news agency that paramilitary soldiers and policemen had been injured in the blast.

"The bombing took place when the paramilitary soldiers and police were checking cars entering Doaba market," the official said.

Last week, at least eight people, including four policemen, were killed in a suspected suicide attack in the north-western town of Mardan.