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| India-Pakistan |
| Death toll from Pakistan bombs climbs to 102 |
| 2010-07-11 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The death toll from a suicide attack in a volatile border region of Pakistan climbed to 102 on Saturday, showing the militants' continued ability to stage deadly strikes despite losing ground in army offensives. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Friday's attack in Mohmand, a Pashtun region on the northwestern border with Afghanistan, where security forces have stepped up operations against militants in recent months. Friday's attack is the deadliest Pakistan has suffered since an attack on a market in Peshawar in October last year that killed 105. Five children, aged 5 to 10, and several women were among the dead on Friday, and the toll rose after rescuers working throughout the night found more bodies in the rubble. "We have recovered more bodies from the debris of dozens of shops that were razed to the ground by the blast and the number of dead has increased" to 102, said Rasool Khan, assistant political agent of Mohmand. The bomber blew himself up outside Khan's office. Late on Friday, a TTP spokesman in Mohmand who identified himself as Ikramullah Mohmand, said anti-Taliban tribal elders from various peace committees who had come to Khan's office were the target. According to him the elders were planning to raise a lashkar, or tribal force, to fight the Taliban. A senior elder and two others were killed in the attack. "We will attack such gatherings in future also," Mohmand said. Among nearly 80 wounded were several people displaced by fighting between security forces and militants, who were collecting relief goods near the blast side. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 tribal elders from various peace committees ... were the target. I doubt the Taliban can be tamed, let alone made civilized. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-07-11 09:47 |