Gunmen kill NATO driver in northwest Pakistan

Heavily armed gunmen have opened fire at a convoy carrying NATO military vehicles in the troubled northwest Pakistan, killing at least a driver and destroying two trucks.

Local security officials said Friday’s attack took place near Landi Kotal, the main town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

“Gunmen opened fire from the nearby mountains on the convoy carrying NATO military vehicles after it entered Pakistan from Afghanistan and killed a driver and injured one of the helpers,” local police official Khan Dad said.

The trucks were carrying NATO vehicles to the southern port city of Karachi.

Elsewhere in northwestern city of Peshawar, a bomber set off his explosives outside a mosque, killing at least four people — including a bodyguard and a driver.

Several others were also wounded in the blast. Pakistan’s police said the target was an Afghan religious scholar who survived the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The fresh attacks underline the challenge of militant violence faced by newly-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Pakistani Army has launched several operations in the troubled northwest in a bid to flush out militants from the tribal zone.

Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001 when Pakistan entered an alliance with the US on the so-called war against terrorism, according to local media.

Many hundreds have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.

Since late 2009, there has been a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan.