Land mine blast in Pakistan kills 14 Shiites
ISLAMABAD -- A van carrying minority Shiite Muslims hit an anti-tank
land mine Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan, killing 14 passengers in
what police described as the country's latest sectarian attack.
Eight
members of one family, including three women and three children, were
among those killed in the blast on the outskirts of Kohat city, police
official Naeem Khan said. The group was traveling from Spai, a
predominantly Shiite village in the Orakzai tribal area.
"It was a
terrorist act. It apparently seems to be a sectarian incident," Mr.
Khan said, adding that it was unclear who had buried the mine that hit
the minibus.
Sunni militants in the region, including the
Pakistani Taliban, have carried out attacks against Shiites in Orakzai
and the neighboring Kurram tribal area. They have used anti-tank land
mines in past attacks, Mr. Khan said.
Pakistan is a majority Sunni
Muslim country, and most Sunnis and Shiites live peacefully together.
But the country has a long history of sectarian attacks by extremists on
both sides of the divide. The Sunni-Shiite schism over the true heir to
Islam's Prophet Muhammad dates back to the seventh century. Attacks by
Sunni militants on Shiites have also been on the rise over the last year
in southwestern Baluchistan province.
Also Wednesday, a group of
Taliban fighters snuck across the border from Afghanistan into the
northern area of Chitral and attacked a Pakistani military post, two
Pakistani security officials said. At least six insurgents died in the
shootout, they said. The officials denied Taliban claims of killing 15
Pakistani troops, saying the government forces did not suffer any
casualties.
Conflicting claims are common in such border
incidents. They usually occur in remote areas, making independent
confirmation difficult. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to brief the media.
U.S. and
Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop
Pakistani militants from crossing the Afghan border to target NATO and
U.S. forces. But Pakistan complains that Afghan authorities are not
taking steps to stop its militants from sneaking into Pakistan to attack
their country's security forces.
The latest attack comes ahead of
the Pakistani prime minister's visit today to Kabul. The trip is the
first by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf since assuming office in June.
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