At Least 42 Die in Blast at Market in Pakistan
Source: NYT
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 42 people were killed Friday when an explosion rocked a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, local government officials said.
More than 60 people also were wounded in the blast, officials said.
The explosion, apparently caused by a bomb planted in a white vehicle, occurred in a busy market in the old quarter of Peshawar, the capital of the restive North-West Frontier Province. Peshawar has been a frequent target of attacks by Taliban militants.
The blast came as the provincial assembly was in session about a half-mile away, and local television coverage showed legislators emerging from the building and making calls on their cell phones.
The explosion, which created a thick cloud of smoke that could be seen several miles away, also destroyed several vehicles and damaged the façades of nearby buildings. Television footage showed the charred wreckage of a commuter bus.
Meanwhile, Rehman Malik, the Pakistani interior minister, said Friday that investigators have made one arrest and identified those involved in the suicide bombing of the headquarters of the World Food Program in Islamabad. Five people died in the blast on Monday, four Pakistanis and an Iraqi.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament in Islamabad, Mr. Malik said the government knows who brought the suicide bomber to the highly fortified W.F.P. building.
“The main handler is in our custody and we have complete information about the persons involved in executing the terrorist plan and facilitating the terrorists,” Mr. Malik said, although he declined to give further details.
The Taliban claimed the responsibility for the attack, and a Taliban spokesman, Azam Tariq, said there would be further targeting of foreigners and Pakistanis working with overseas agencies.
“Given this aggressiveness and this new threat, we are taking a range of actions to redouble our security efforts,” said Josette Sheeran, the executive director of the food program, which says it supplies food and humanitarian aid to an estimated 10 million Pakistanis.
The food program is a United Nations agency, and the U.N. has temporarily closed its offices in Pakistan. Ms. Sheeran said the withdrawal of W.F.P. staffers from the country was “not contemplated.”
Ismail Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan, and Salman Masood reported from Islamabad, Pakistan.
Comments