<p><br /> A 12-year-old boy in a school uniform has blown himself up at a Pakistani army recruitment centre, killing at least 31 cadets.<br /> </p><p><br /> Officials say the youngster apparently walked into the compound unheeded.<br /> </p><p><br /> The brazen bombing in the northwestern town of Mardan suggests militants are regrouping.<br /> </p><p><br /> "It seems the Taliban are still a very potent force because they continue to attack installations, even if they have been quiet for a time," said former general Talat Masood.<br /> </p><p><br /> In a sign of how nervous the government is about security, soldiers at the gates of the military compound searched drivers before allowing them to transport coffins inside.<br /> </p><p><br /> Militant operations in recent months have been mostly sectarian and have not focused on military targets.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Taliban have previously launched bold attacks on the military, nuclear-armed Pakistan's most powerful institution.<br /> </p><p><br /> Last March, two suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in the city of Lahore, including nine soldiers.<br /> </p><p><br /> In 2009, Pakistani Taliban militants disguised as soldiers attacked the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi and later took 42 people hostage in a nearby office building.<br /> </p>
