Islamabad, Jan 27 (IANS) Three children were killed Wednesday in a bomb blast in the restive tribal region of North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

The bomb exploded near the house of a tribal elder in Nanger Khani area of Upper Dir district, killing three minors and damaging the house partially, Amjad Ali, a resident, told Xinhua.

Police have cordoned off the area which is close to Swat valley, once a base of Taliban militants.

The locals have formed an armed group against the Taliban insurgents who have been facing a military offensive launched by the Pakistan army last year.