Pakistani Taliban faction claims responsibility for Lahore blast

A paramilitary soldier stands guard at the cordoned off site after a blast in Lahore, Pakistan May 8, 2019. REUERS/Mohsin Raza

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility for a blast that killed at least nine people in the eastern city of Lahore on Wednesday, the militants said in a statement.

"This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police," said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, spokesman for the Hizbul Ahrar militant group, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

(Reporting by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Robert Birsel)