Bomb attack kills at least 5 in Lahore

Lahore - At least five people were killed and 15 injured after a blast ripped through a building in an upscale shopping area of Pakistan's Lahore on Thursday, officials said, the latest in a surge in Islamist violence.

"It was a bomb attack," Nayab Haider, a spokesperson for the provincial Punjab police said. Rescue services spokeswoman Deeba Shehnaz provided the casualty toll.

Television footage showed a smouldering building and several crumpled cars with their windows blown out.

The explosion took place in the particularly affluent Defence Housing Authority suburb of the city, replete with upscale boutiques and cafes as well as an academy for the international hair salon Toni & Guy.

It came a day after the military announced the launch of a nationwide anti-terrorist operation in the wake of a series of bloody assaults that have killed more than 130 people in the past two weeks.

They included a previous bomb blast in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people, and a devastating suicide attack at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province that left 90 devotees dead.

The attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group and the Pakistani Taliban, dented growing optimism over the country's security after it appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy.

#Lahore #Explosion - Police says timed device, Punjab govt maintains nature unknown. 7 dead -7 inj. Deats: https://t.co/ecc4KNA7LX pic.twitter.com/6LHzwhlQ2r

— Ovais Jafar (@ovaisjafar) 23 February 2017