He attacked as recruits exercised at a parade ground of the Punjab Regiment, inside an enclosed military area of the north-western city of Mardan.

A Taliban militant said his group had carried out the bombing.

Such attacks on the army have decreased recently as militants have largely targeted civilian areas.

In the aftermath of the bombing, police and soldiers are manning the entrance to the Mardan compound. There is a queue of ambulances outside the main entrance, and the security forces are checking everyone coming in and out.

A group of schoolboys dressed in blue blazers stopped on their way home from school to tell us that they believed the attack was simply wrong.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack.

The attack comes days after the authorities launched a major offensive against militants in the tribal region of Mohmand, near Mardan.