Swat Valley blast toll rises to 14 (Second Lead)
March 13th, 2010 - 5:08 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, March 13 (IANS) At least 14 people were killed and 52 wounded when a suicide bomber targeted a security checkpost in Pakistan’s Mingora town in restive Swat Valley, police said Saturday, a day after twin blasts claimed 57 lives in Lahore.
Three security personnel were among those killed in the blast in Mingora, Swat’s largest city.
Swat police chief Ghulam Farooq told reporters that the blast occurred when a suicide bomber who was walking towards a crowded court building was challenged by the security forces.
“The security forces opened fire at him and the bomber detonated his explosives,” Online news agency quoted Farooq as saying.
The checkpost went up in flames after the blast and thick smoke was billowing from the area.
Television footage showed several vehicles burning as rescue workers were putting victims into ambulances. A nearby public library and a hotel were also damaged.
Among the victims were two policemen and eight civilians.
Officials said they had found the legs of the bomber, adding that about 15 kg of explosives were used in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack caused panic in Mingora and hotels and shops shut down.
The district courts and the government circuit house, currently occupied by the army, are located a short distance from the site of the blast.
Pakistan has been rocked by a series of terror attacks since the military launched a massive operation against Taliban strongholds in the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in June last year. Hundreds of people have died in these attacks.
On Friday, two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the Lahore cantonment, killing 57 people.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the Mingora blast and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and property.
In separate messages, they expressed their resolve not to be deterred by such acts of wanton terror, saying the government remains committed to eliminating extremists and terrorists.
- Swat, Lahore blasts claim 71 lives (Third Lead) - Mar 13, 2010
- Suicide blast in Pakistan's Swat Valley kills 10 (Lead) - Mar 13, 2010
- Five policemen among six killed in Peshawar blasts (Lead) - Aug 11, 2011
- Three killed, five injured in Swat bomb blast - May 01, 2010
- Postpone national games, say Pakistan's security agencies - Mar 13, 2010
- Two blasts in Peshawar, three injured - Aug 11, 2011
- Six die in Pakistan suicide blast - Jul 11, 2011
- Six die in Afghan suicide bombing - May 19, 2012
- More blasts in Pakistan, three killed (Lead) - Jan 13, 2011
- Unmitigated bloodshed sees six killed, 12 injured in suicide attack in Swat - Mar 13, 2010
- Three killed in another blast in Pakistan - Jan 13, 2011
- 13 killed in suicide blast in Lahore Shiite procession (Second Lead) - Jan 25, 2011
- Two policemen die, 12 hurt in Pakistan suicide bomb attack - Nov 01, 2010
- Terror bid foiled in Pakistan capital - Dec 28, 2011
- Five blasts rock Pakistan (Second Lead) - Jan 29, 2011
Tags: asif ali zardari, deep sorrow, district courts, frontier province, gilani, lahore cantonment, massive operation, mingora, north west frontier, suicide bomber, suicide bombers, swat police, swat valley, television footage, terror attacks, thick smoke, tribal areas, twin blasts, valley police, yousuf