PESHAWAR – A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed at least eight people and wounded 20 in a blast near the house of a provincial minister who has repeatedly spoken out against the Taliban, police said yesterday.
The Taliban said they were behind the explosion in Pabbi town, 25km (15 miles) east of the provincial capital, Peshawar, which came two days after suspected militants shot dead minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain’s only son. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, warning of more violence to come.
“We have reports of eight dead, including two policemen,” Jahangir Khan, a police official, said by telephone.
Police said the bomber was targeting Mr Hussain and guests who had gone to his house to offer condolences over his son’s death.
“He was a young boy. He was trying to cross the checkpost but when our policemen caught him, he exploded himself,” senior police officer Liaquat Ali said of the bomber. While claiming responsibility, a Taliban spokesman warned other members of the ANP, the ruling party in the province, would be targeted.
Pakistan has faced an insurgency by Islamist groups who oppose Islamabad’s support for Washington’s fight against militancy and want to impose harsh, Taliban-style rule in the nuclear-armed Muslim country. The US wants Pakistan to crush the insurgency and help it stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan. – (Reuters)