Northwest Pak: Bomb blast kills 8 people, 20 injured
A bomb blast in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan injured over 50 people and claimed the lives of more than eight innocents. It is reported that three suspects have been taken into custody
THE TROUBLED north – west of beleaguered Pakistan once again came under insurgents attack on Sunday, which claimed lives of more than eight innocent people. The bomb blast in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) injured over 20 people, said by Syed Mohsan Shah, the district coordination officer in the city.
He said that the injured were taken to a nearby hospital by people in private vehicles.
Police Chief Iqbal Khan said that the bomb, containing about 5 to 6 kg of explosives, was placed in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the busy Pir market.
It is reported that three suspects have been taken into custody.
The police chief said that the attack was retaliation for the massive military offensive against Taliban militants in the region.
Dera Ismail Khan has also been the scene of number of deadly attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months.
On February 25, people were killed in a bomb attack on a funeral procession in the town and another bomb attack in January, killed five innocent people.
Police Chief Iqbal Khan said that the bomb, containing about 5 to 6 kg of explosives, was placed in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the busy Pir market.
It is reported that three suspects have been taken into custody.
The police chief said that the attack was retaliation for the massive military offensive against Taliban militants in the region.
Dera Ismail Khan has also been the scene of number of deadly attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months.
On February 25, people were killed in a bomb attack on a funeral procession in the town and another bomb attack in January, killed five innocent people.
.The bomb was planted in a cycle-rickshaw and it was rush hour in the bazaar at the time of blast," he added.
Ghulam Jailani, a police official in Dera Ismail Khan, said the blast was detonated by remote-control, while officials said dozens were wounded.
"We have received eight dead bodies and 27 injured, five of them are very serious," said Mohammad Ashiq Saleem, a senior doctor in the main government hospital in the town.
Pakistan has been hit by a string of deadly bomb blasts in recent weeks, many of them claimed by the Taliban, who say they are exacting revenge for a punishing military offensive against them across swathes of the northwest.
Security forces launched their campaign in three northwest districts around the Swat valley on April 26 after Taliban fighters advanced towards Islamabad.
Operations recently expanded to Bannu district -- just north of Dera Ismail Khan -- while fighter jets have also bombed militant targets in the nearby semi-autonomous tribal area of South Waziristan.
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