Saturday, 17 February 2007
Pakistani court bomb 'kills 12'
At least 12 people have been killed in a bomb blast in the city of Quetta in south-western Pakistan, police say.
The explosion tore through a district courts complex killing a judge and many lawyers are also reported to be among the victims.
No-one has claimed the attack, which injured dozens of people, police said.
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, where for several years nationalist militants have been fighting for greater autonomy.
"Twelve people, including a senior judge and six lawyers, have been killed in the blast, and more than 20 people were wounded," Rehmat Niazi, the police officer in charge of operations, told Reuters news agency.
A head was found in the aftermath of the attack, raising suspicions that it could have been caused by a suicide bomber, police said.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao condemned the blast, calling it "an act of terrorism".
Pakistan's security forces are already on high alert, following three suicide bomb attacks in the region in recent weeks, says the BBC's Rumella Dasgupta.
Despite the government's denials, there are regular reports of Taleban insurgents operating in the province, which borders Afghanistan, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6370763.stm
Pakistani court bomb 'kills 12'
At least 12 people have been killed in a bomb blast in the city of Quetta in south-western Pakistan, police say.
The explosion tore through a district courts complex killing a judge and many lawyers are also reported to be among the victims.
No-one has claimed the attack, which injured dozens of people, police said.
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, where for several years nationalist militants have been fighting for greater autonomy.
"Twelve people, including a senior judge and six lawyers, have been killed in the blast, and more than 20 people were wounded," Rehmat Niazi, the police officer in charge of operations, told Reuters news agency.
A head was found in the aftermath of the attack, raising suspicions that it could have been caused by a suicide bomber, police said.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao condemned the blast, calling it "an act of terrorism".
Pakistan's security forces are already on high alert, following three suicide bomb attacks in the region in recent weeks, says the BBC's Rumella Dasgupta.
Despite the government's denials, there are regular reports of Taleban insurgents operating in the province, which borders Afghanistan, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6370763.stm