Bus terminal blast kills two

An injured boy arrives at hospital in Peshawar after an explosion near a bus terminal in Pakistan's Swat Valley killed two people and wounded at least 35 yesterday, officials said.

The explosion went off around noon in Mingora, the main town in the one-time tourist haven that was overrun by the Taliban in 2007. Police are investigating whether a suicide bomber was involved in the blast.

The area was crowded so the death toll could rise significantly, said Ibrahim Khan, a senior police official.

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The attack comes as a sign that Islamist militants remain active in the north west region despite a massive army operation against them. The Pakistan military launched its biggest operation against the Taliban in Swat in 2009. The operation forced two million people to flee, but after a few months, the army said it had taken control and many of the refugees returned home.

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