Bomb blast kills three Pakistani forces near Afghan border

AVA- Local administration official Rehmat Khan says a paramilitary soldier was wounded in Saturday's blast near a security checkpoint in North Waziristan, which was a longtime stronghold for the Taliban, al-Qaida and other militant groups. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan claims to have driven out the militants in a series of military operations in recent years, but the region still sees occasional attacks.
Last year, the government merged North Waziristan with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province to give equal rights to the 5 million residents of the rugged, tribal region.