At least four people were killed and 18 others injured on Tuesday when a powerful car bomb ripped through a street in Bazid Khel village on the outskirts of Peshawar, police and locals said.The injured were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital and three are said to be in critical condition. An official at morgue said seven people had died in the blast but only three bodies were shifted to hospital. However, police have not confirmed the seven deaths. According to Reuters, five people were killed and 16 wounded in the attack.
Two cars: Eyewitnesses said suspected Taliban arrived in the village on two cars and parked in front of Bazid Khel Union Council Nazim Fahimur Rehman's home. Following this, they said, a powerful bomb blast occurred, damaging four houses, a dispensary and shops in addition to the deaths and injuries. The nazim was home at the time of the blast, but escaped injury.
Asif, a brother of the nazim, told Daily Times the two suspected Taliban who had arrived in the vehicles had been arrested. However, police did not confirm any arrest. Muhammad Afzal, a local, said he had also heard 15 gunshots after the blast. According to a Bomb Disposal Squad official, about 35 kilogrammes of explosives were packed in the cars and were detonated through remote control.
| the bombing is believed to be retaliation for the villagers executing nine Taliban belonging to a banned group on February 4. |
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the bombing, saying the government was committed to ensuring its writ at all costs and would not bow down to extremists, militants and terrorists.