Police detained a nine-year-old school girl allegedly strapped with a bomb and told to blow up a police checkpoint.
Although her intentions could not be confirmed independently, it was the first time such a young girl has been reported carrying explosives could signal a disturbing new tactic for the Taliban and other militants.
She was arrested about 50 metres from the Islam Darra police checkpoint on the outskirts of Taimargara, the main town in the district of Lower Dir.
Police said the girl claimed to have been abducted several days ago in Peshawar and have been taken to Lower Dir near the Afghan border.
“She was wearing eight kilograms of explosives which was quite heavy for her age. Her body language was suspicious,” Qazi Jamil-ur-Rehman, the regional police chief, told AFP by telephone.
“She is an innocent school girl and was scared. She is with us and we are trying to reach her family,” Rehman added.
The girl appeared on national television wearing her blue and white school uniform.
“They kept me in a house and they told me to push the button when i reach near policemen,” she told reporters during a press conference.
Police said they were hunting those responsible.
Suicide attacks carried out by women and children are very rare in Pakistan but militant groups have frequently used teenage boys.
