Nine killed in Peshawar explosion

At least 19 others were injured in the blast on Wednesday morning, in a commercial area in a suburb of Peshawar city.

The explosion destroyed a vehicle and damaged a nearby shop, police said.

Militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban have killed a number of police and security officials in the region which borders Afghanistan.

It was the third major bombing blamed on the Taliban in or near Peshawar in the past week. They have targeted government installations and the security forces.

Police say that the bomb tore through a packed Pakistani market near the police station.

"It was a timed bomb. The target was police. He [the bomber] parked the car here due to the rush," senior police official Mohammad Ijaz Khan told reporters.

Correspondents say that the latest attacks undermine recent police claims of progress against militants in the region.

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