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Suicide bomber kills 10 at Pakistani bus stop

Other News Materials 4 April 2011 20:37 (UTC +04:00)

A teenage suicide bomber detonated explosives at a bus stop in north-western Pakistan on Monday, killing 10 people, including a senior leader of a local tribal militia, DPA reported.

The incident took place in the Jandol Munda area of Lower Dir district, where Pakistani security forces are fighting Taliban militants.

Saleem Marwat, the district police chief, said the attack was carried out by a teenage suicide bomber and that 10 people were confirmed dead and 18 wounded.

"The severed head of the suspected suicide bomber has also been found from the scene of the crime," he said.

An intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the apparent target of the bombing was a tribal elder named Akbar from the adjacent Bajaur tribal district, along the Afghan border.

Akbar, who died in the attack, was a senior leader of a tribal militia, locally known as lashkar, that had helped Pakistani security forces expel the Taliban from Bajaur during a security operation in 2009 and 2010.

"Akbar had come from Bajaur and was waiting for a bus for some further destination when the suicide bomber, who might have been following him, struck," said the intelligence official.

The Taliban have recently intensified attacks against government officials, politicians and civilians.

Monday's attack was the sixth in as many days. On Sunday, two suicide bombers struck at a Sufi shrine in central Pakistan.

Natiq Hayat, regional head of the state-run 1122 Rescue department, said the total death toll in the Sakhi Sarwar bombing was 50, up from 42 the previous day.

"We have reports that local tribesmen have taken eight to nine bodies of their loved ones from the scene so the toll would be 50," said Hayat.

Police arrested one more injured suicide bomber at the shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan district.

According to the investigators, the detained bomber is from the Mira Ali area of North Waziristan, a tribal district where Taliban and al-Qaeda have hideouts.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shrine attack.

Javed Iqbal, police chief of Punjab province, said "the suicide attackers had tried to target the shrine for four days, but because of strict security, they were unable to execute their plan."

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