Army spokesman Maj.-Gen. Waheed Arshad said the bomb attack occurred in northern Waziristan, where a number of militant groups who fought with the Taliban are based. Five servicemen and four civilians were killed outright, with two more dying later in hospital.
The attack comes amid threats of suicide strikes from Islamic students currently surrounded by security forces in the Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) in the capital Islamabad, where at least 12 people died Wednesday in fighting between police and students, local media reported.
Lal Masjid and some other districts of the Pakistani capital have been placed under curfew, with the police threatening to shoot anyone in possession of weapons. Interior Ministry troops have blocked several key roads in the city, and public transport has been bought to a halt.
Deputy Interior Minister Zafar Warriach said everything was ready for military action against Lal Masjid and the adjacent area. "The decision to launch a [military operation] will be made after a thorough analysis of developments," he said.
Radical students launched a drive to impose a Taliban-style version of Islamic law in the capital, in particular threatening the owners of music and video shops, and demanding that "all outlets of video sin" be closed.
"We need real Muslim power: Our state is an Islamic Republic in name only. [President] Musharraf is serving the West and America. He is against true Muslims. We simply want to live according to the laws of our faith," a student named Khakim told a RIA Novosti reporter.
Students purportedly carried out a number of abductions of police officers and alleged prostitutes, and threatened suicide attacks if police intervened
