Suicide bomb attack kills 31 soldiers in Pakistan
Source: Agencies |
February 11, 2011, Friday
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A SUICIDE bomber linked to the Pakistani Taliban attacked soldiers during morning exercises at an army training camp in the northwest yesterday, killing 31 troops and wounding 42 others.
There were conflicting accounts about the identity of the bomber. The army and police said he was a teenager in a school uniform, but the Pakistani Taliban claimed he was a soldier at the Mardan town camp who volunteered.
The bombing showed that despite years of army operations against their hideouts along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Taliban and al-Qaida-linked fighters retain the ability to strike back. It was one of the worst attacks on security forces in recent months.
Senior police official Samad Khan said 31 soldiers died and 42 were wounded, some critically.
All of those killed were cadets except for one, who was a drill instructor, the army said.
An examination of the body parts at the scene indicated the bomber was a teenage boy, which is a common finding in suicide bombings in Pakistan, Khan said. The army also confirmed he was a teenager in a school uniform.
But Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said the bomber was a soldier in Mardan who approached them and said "he wanted to sacrifice his life for Islam."
"We accepted his offer and told him to target his fellow soldiers in Mardan," Ahsan said.
A suicide bombing by an active duty soldier would be rare.
A suicide bomber attacked the same training facility, killing 35 soldiers, in 2006.
The army has staged multiple offensives in Pakistan's northwest aimed at taking out the Pakistani Taliban in recent years.
There were conflicting accounts about the identity of the bomber. The army and police said he was a teenager in a school uniform, but the Pakistani Taliban claimed he was a soldier at the Mardan town camp who volunteered.
The bombing showed that despite years of army operations against their hideouts along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Taliban and al-Qaida-linked fighters retain the ability to strike back. It was one of the worst attacks on security forces in recent months.
Senior police official Samad Khan said 31 soldiers died and 42 were wounded, some critically.
All of those killed were cadets except for one, who was a drill instructor, the army said.
An examination of the body parts at the scene indicated the bomber was a teenage boy, which is a common finding in suicide bombings in Pakistan, Khan said. The army also confirmed he was a teenager in a school uniform.
But Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said the bomber was a soldier in Mardan who approached them and said "he wanted to sacrifice his life for Islam."
"We accepted his offer and told him to target his fellow soldiers in Mardan," Ahsan said.
A suicide bombing by an active duty soldier would be rare.
A suicide bomber attacked the same training facility, killing 35 soldiers, in 2006.
The army has staged multiple offensives in Pakistan's northwest aimed at taking out the Pakistani Taliban in recent years.
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