Pakistan suicide bombing kills mayor, 11 others
Monday, 9 November 2009
Islamabad, Nov 8 (agencies): A suicide car bomber struck in northwest Pakistan Sunday, killing 12 people, including a local mayor, authorities said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which injured at least 36 people in the outskirts of Peshawar.
About 10 kilograms (22 lbs) of explosives were used, said Shahibzada Anis Khan, district coordination officer.
The blast killed Matni-area Mayor Abdul Malik, who was outside his home when a car pulled up and detonated, Khan said.
The mayor's son, was injured severely, said Abdul Hamid Afridi of Reading Hospital in Peshawar. A little girl and five young men were among the dead, Afridi said. Malik was in charge of organizing Lashkhar, a local volunteer militia fighting militants.
Up until about two years ago, the mayor supported the Taliban, a senior government official told CNN. He switched sides after disagreeing with the group about its strategies, particularly the targeting of civilians, the official said.
A local Taliban leader told CNN that there had been several attempts to kill Malik. He warned that anyone who interfered with the Taliban would be targeted by suicide bombers.
Pakistan is currently waging an offensive against insurgents in their northwest mountain hideouts, incurring the wrath of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, which has retaliated with a wave of deadly attacks.
"The suicide bomber came in a car and exploded it when the mayor was standing with some visitors outside his guesthouse near the local livestock market," district administration chief Sahibzada Anis told AFP.
"Eleven people have been killed and 36 others wounded. Nine of them are in a critical condition," Anis added. Hospital officials said that two children were among the dead.
Malik, mayor of Adizai suburb on Peshawar's outskirts since 2006, once had close links to the hardline Taliban movement, but switched sides and had raised a local force to battle the Islamist extremists on the fringes of the city.
"Abdul Malik and a commander of the local anti-Taliban force are also among the dead," Peshawar police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told AFP.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which injured at least 36 people in the outskirts of Peshawar.
About 10 kilograms (22 lbs) of explosives were used, said Shahibzada Anis Khan, district coordination officer.
The blast killed Matni-area Mayor Abdul Malik, who was outside his home when a car pulled up and detonated, Khan said.
The mayor's son, was injured severely, said Abdul Hamid Afridi of Reading Hospital in Peshawar. A little girl and five young men were among the dead, Afridi said. Malik was in charge of organizing Lashkhar, a local volunteer militia fighting militants.
Up until about two years ago, the mayor supported the Taliban, a senior government official told CNN. He switched sides after disagreeing with the group about its strategies, particularly the targeting of civilians, the official said.
A local Taliban leader told CNN that there had been several attempts to kill Malik. He warned that anyone who interfered with the Taliban would be targeted by suicide bombers.
Pakistan is currently waging an offensive against insurgents in their northwest mountain hideouts, incurring the wrath of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, which has retaliated with a wave of deadly attacks.
"The suicide bomber came in a car and exploded it when the mayor was standing with some visitors outside his guesthouse near the local livestock market," district administration chief Sahibzada Anis told AFP.
"Eleven people have been killed and 36 others wounded. Nine of them are in a critical condition," Anis added. Hospital officials said that two children were among the dead.
Malik, mayor of Adizai suburb on Peshawar's outskirts since 2006, once had close links to the hardline Taliban movement, but switched sides and had raised a local force to battle the Islamist extremists on the fringes of the city.
"Abdul Malik and a commander of the local anti-Taliban force are also among the dead," Peshawar police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told AFP.