Suicide bomber kills three in Pakistan

By Faris Ali

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in an auto-rickshaw blew himself up in Pakistan on Monday, killing three people while four soldiers were killed in South Waziristan when militants struck back in their captured headquarters.

Islamist militants have unleashed a campaign of attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks in retaliation for a major offensive by security forces on their main bastion of South Waziristan on the Afghan border.

In the latest bomb blast, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives when police stopped him on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar.

"The bomber was in a rickshaw and detonated his explosives when the rickshaw was stopped for a check," said police official Zafar Khan.

A policeman, a passerby and the rickshaw driver were killed while five people were wounded.

Police said the bomber was apparently trying to get into the city center to stage the attack, but set off his explosives as he knew he would be caught at the checkpoint.

It was the second attack in the Peshawar region in 24 hours.

A suicide bomber killed an anti-Taliban village mayor and 11 other people in an attack near the city on Sunday.

On Sunday evening, police in the capital, Islamabad, shot dead a suicide bomber before he could set off his explosives as he ran toward a police checkpost.

The militant attacks has unsettled trade on Pakistan's stock market and the main index ended 1.93 percent lower at 8,936.48 last Friday. Despite the security worries, the index has gained 52 percent this year after losing 58.33 percent last year.

The market was closed for a public holiday on Monday.

ROCKET ATTACK

Authorities say the bomb attacks only stiffen their resolve to defeat the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan.

The region's rugged landscape of barren mountains and hidden ravines has become a global center of Islamist militancy and the offensive is closely watched by the United States and other powers embroiled in neighboring Afghanistan.

The army went on the offensive in the ethnic Pashtun region on October 17, aiming to root out the militants attacking the state.