The number of soldiers killed in a suicide attack on a military convoy in north-western Pakistan has risen to 24, a Pakistan army spokesman has said. Twenty-nine others were also hurt when the convoy was hit in the remote tribal region of North Waziristan. Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said the wounded from Saturday's incident, some of whom are in a critical state, had been taken to hospital by helicopter after the attack near the village of Daznary, about 50km (30 miles) north of Miranshah.A search is still under way for one missing vehicle after the convoy was struck by the attacker's explosives-laden vehicle. Although no-one has claimed responsibility for Saturday's bomb attack, Maj Gen Arshad acknowledged that it could be a response to the army raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad on Wednesday. Troops have been sent close to the area amid fears militants may be planning a "holy war" in response to the siege.
In a second attack on Saturday, two security officials were hurt in a blast near the town of Bannu in North-West Frontier Province. Although there is no new deployment to Waziristan, militants there say the government has broken peace agreements by setting up checkpoints. Militant commander Abdullah Farhad told the Agence France-Presse news agency there could be "guerrilla war" if all checkpoints were not removed by Sunday.