Suicide Bomber Strikes Peshawar Court, at least 16 Killed
A suicide bomber struck at the gates of a local court in Peshawar, the main city in Pakistan’s north western frontier bordering Afghanistan, killing 16 and wounding two dozen others Thursday morning.
The macabre strike caps a series of attacks in the region, ostensibly launched in protest of an ongoing military offensive against radical Islamists in several parts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), where dominant Pushtuns are known to share strong cultural and family ties with Afghanistan.
The strike, blows the covers off the Pakistani security establishment’s inability to secure citizens and government installations and offices, especially, as the attack this morning took place on the busy Khyber Road which has witnessed at least two other bombings this year.
Last week a car bomb targeted Pakistani intelligence offices on the same road, just a couple of kilometers west of the court, reported the BBC.
The court is also in the vicinity of the Pearl Continental Hotel, which was targeted by a truck bomb earlier this year, it added.
The Peshawar city establishment has confirmed that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
Medics at the Lady Reading Hospital have already confirmed the arrival of 16 dead, three of those killed in the attack were identified as policemen.
The bomb disposal office that normally sweeps locations after the death and destruction has been caused, said nearly 10 kg explosive was used in the strike.
The area around the court remains cordoned and closed for traffic.
