At least five soldiers have been killed and dozens of others wounded after a suicide bomber struck a Pakistan army base in a troubled tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials say. The bomber attacked the gate of a military camp in Wana, South Waziristan, where Pakistani troops have been battling Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.The attack, on Thursday, is the latest in a series of suicide bombings that have put pressure on Pakistan's new government. "It was a suicide attack. Five troops lost their lives and a dozen others were wounded," a local security official told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity. "An army truck, some cars and soldiers were stationed at the gate of the camp and the bomber rammed his vehicle into them and blew himself up," the official said.
An army spokesman said officials were investigating a blast which targeted troops in Wana but did not have full details. The attack came as Dick Cheney, the US vice president, made a surprise visit to Kabul to meet with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.