23 killed in bomb blast at bazaar in Pakistan
Print Edition
A bomb hidden in a bag ripped through a crowded bazaar in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region yesterday, killing at least 23 people and wounding over 30, officials said.
The death toll was set to rise after the explosion at the Eidgah used-clothes market in Parachinar city, the capital of Kurram tribal district on the border with Afghanistan.
“The death toll has reached 23 as many of the critically wounded succumbed to injuries as they were being shifted to helicopters to fly them to Peshawar,” said Amjad Ali Khan, the political administrator of Kurram.
Two officials from the local administration corroborated the number of dead, while the military confirmed in a statement to media that two army helicopters had been sent to help transport the wounded.
Local television footage showed hundreds of male marketgoers fleeing the area, which was strewn with clothing and debris from the detonated IED (Improvised Explosive Device), as police tried to cordon off the location and ambulances rushed to the site.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the region is known for sectarian clashes between Sunnis and Shiites. Shiites make up roughly 20 percent of Pakistan’s population of 200 million.
Kurram is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts which are governed according to local laws and customs.
They are the frontline of Pakistan’s battle against an Islamist insurgency that began in 2004 after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan forced Taliban and al-Qaeda militants to flee across the border.
The insurgency has claimed the lives of around 25,000 civilians and security forces’ personnel, according to the South Asia Terror Portal.
Overall levels of violence have eased this year following a nationwide military-led offensive against militants.
The crackdown has also included groups who target Shiites and preachers who incite hatred.
In July, the leader of an anti-Shiite group behind some of Pakistan’s worst sectarian atrocities was killed in a shoot-out with police, along with 13 other extremists.
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