Islamabad - A suicide car bomber attacked a security checkpoint in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday, killing one soldier and wounding seven others, officials said.

The bomber ploughed his explosive-laden car into a security wall around the post, located in Doaba town in the restive Hangu district.

The blast injured eight security personnel, one of whom later died in the hospital, the military said in a statement.

"Soldiers were checking vehicles at the roadblock when the suicide bomber travelling in a white-coloured car struck them," a duty officer at the Doaba police station said.

Investigators have found the severed head of the bomber from the site of the explosion, according to the officer.

The attack was the latest in a string of bombings against the security forces and follows the recent surge in US drone attacks on suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in the volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Doaba is situated close to the lawless region and has seen numerous incidents of sectarian and militant violence in the past. (dpa)