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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan funeral bomb 'kills 25' |
| 2009-02-20 |
| At least 25 people have died in a bomb explosion at a funeral procession in north-western Pakistan, police say. The suicide blast targeted the funeral of a Shia Muslim cleric who was gunned down on Thursday. There are fears Friday's death toll could go higher. The blast took place in Dera Ismail Khan, a town close to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal area. The town has a history of sectarian violence between its Sunni and Shia Muslim communities. Ya don't say... A curfew has been imposed in the town, 270km (170 miles) south-west of the capital, Islamabad. At least 60 people have been injured in the attack. The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says Shia mourners were making their way to a graveyard early on Friday morning when the bomber struck. The funeral was of a prominent local Shia leader, Sher Zaman, who was shot dead in a busy market on Thursday by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike. Let's roll, Cycles of Violence™! Blast witness Gulzar Hussain told Agence France-Presse a man rushed into the centre of the funeral procession and there was a deafening explosion. "All I could see after the blast were body parts lying in a pool of blood. Everyone around me was injured, crying and moaning. I saw injured children crying with pain. It was a scene from a slaughterhouse." Our correspondent says that with police resources stretched, the administration called in the army to deal with rioting by incensed locals. Let's roll, Mighty Pak Army™! Dera Ismail Khan has been the scene of a number of deadly attacks targeted at the local Shia population since 2007. Our correspondent says security officials believe Pakistan's most dangerous militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is behind them. They believe the organisation has been bolstered by help from the Taleban. Two weeks ago 35 people died in a suspected suicide bomb attack against Shia worshippers in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #2 Can we send Mookie & his buddies over to take revenge on these evil Pakistani Sunni? Or, since he's kinda cowardly, maybe some Iranian Special Groupies. I'm kind of hankering for some popcorn. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-02-20 17:44 |
| #1 I've been wondering for a year or so when somebody would boom a funeral. It just seems logical, all your enemies, and their friends in one spot just waiting for it. Very much a "Target Rich" area. |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-02-20 12:08 |