Suicide bomber kills at least 10
Source: Agencies |
March 6, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A suicide bomber attacked a convoy of civilians guarded by security forces in Pakistan's northwest yesterday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 30, police said.
Suicide bombings have eased in recent weeks but it is not clear whether that is because security has improved after military gains against the Taliban, or if the insurgents are merely regrouping for more attacks.
"Our convoy was hit by a big explosion. It's all chaos here. I myself have seen four dead, two of them are children. I have seen four wounded women," said witness Javed Hussain, who was in the convoy of vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims to the city of Peshawar.
Pakistan's Taliban militants, who are Sunni Muslims, have carried out waves of bombings, killing hundreds of people and hitting everything from crowded markets to mosques to military and police facilities in their drive to topple the United States-backed government.
Shiites, a minority in Pakistan, have also been targeted.
"We have now a confirmed figure of 10 dead, including four women. Thirty wounded have been admitted to hospitals," a regional police spokesman said.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, has launched two major strikes in the northwest over the past year against the al-Qaida-backed Taliban, who want to impose their austere Islamic rule.
The operations have destroyed militant bases, and Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is widely believed to have been killed in a US drone strike in January. His predecessor was killed in a similar strike in August.
But the Taliban have proven resilient, often melting away during government offensives to other parts of the lawless northwest, a global hub for militants.
That's one reason why Pakistan has resisted pressure to also go after Afghan Taliban groups who cross the frontier to attack Western forces in Afghanistan.
Suicide bombings have eased in recent weeks but it is not clear whether that is because security has improved after military gains against the Taliban, or if the insurgents are merely regrouping for more attacks.
"Our convoy was hit by a big explosion. It's all chaos here. I myself have seen four dead, two of them are children. I have seen four wounded women," said witness Javed Hussain, who was in the convoy of vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims to the city of Peshawar.
Pakistan's Taliban militants, who are Sunni Muslims, have carried out waves of bombings, killing hundreds of people and hitting everything from crowded markets to mosques to military and police facilities in their drive to topple the United States-backed government.
Shiites, a minority in Pakistan, have also been targeted.
"We have now a confirmed figure of 10 dead, including four women. Thirty wounded have been admitted to hospitals," a regional police spokesman said.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, has launched two major strikes in the northwest over the past year against the al-Qaida-backed Taliban, who want to impose their austere Islamic rule.
The operations have destroyed militant bases, and Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is widely believed to have been killed in a US drone strike in January. His predecessor was killed in a similar strike in August.
But the Taliban have proven resilient, often melting away during government offensives to other parts of the lawless northwest, a global hub for militants.
That's one reason why Pakistan has resisted pressure to also go after Afghan Taliban groups who cross the frontier to attack Western forces in Afghanistan.
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