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A bomb planted near a market in northwestern Pakistan killed 16 people and wounded 17 others Friday, the latest in an uptick in attacks in recent months, government officials said.

The blast occurred in Kalaya, the main town in the Orakzai tribal area, said local government administrator Khaistan Akbar. Orakzai is one of several areas in the semiautonomous tribal region along the Afghan border where the military has been battling a domestic Taliban insurgency.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest bombing, but Taliban militants regularly target security forces and civilians in the area.

The blast occurred near government and security offices, according to another local administrator, Javed Khan. It damaged one of the shops in the market. Some of the wounded were in critical condition, he said.