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Suicide Bomber Strikes Peshawar in Pakistan

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A suicide bomb attack has rocked the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least five people and wounding more than 20 others.

Pakistani officials say a suicide bomber walked up to a security checkpoint Thursday and detonated his explosives after he was stopped by police.

Officials say the checkpoint - near the offices for Pakistan's national airline - is along one of the city's busiest roads.

The area is also home to some media companies, a church school and several other businesses.

The explosion comes just two days after a suicide bomber killed three people and wounded at least 17 others in an attack on a press club in Peshawar - the first such attack against a media institution in the city.

Officials say more than 500 people have been killed in Pakistan since October, with Peshawar one of the areas that has experienced frequent bombings in recent months.

Authorities say, in Tuesday's attack, a policeman stopped the bomber at the gate of the club and tried to search him, at which point the bomber detonated his explosives.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Pakistan as the fourth-deadliest country in the world for journalists this year, behind the Philippines, Somalia and Iraq.

Pakistani officials have promised to provide tighter security for journalists in the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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