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| India-Pakistan |
| Attacks on Pakistani city of Multan kill 12 |
| 2009-12-08 |
| A rocket and a suicide car bomb attack on the office of Pakistani intelligence agency in Multan city has killed at least 12 people, police say. More than 25 others were injured in the attack in the Qasim Bela area in Punjab province. The blast comes just a day after two bombs exploded in a busy market in Lahore, killing at least 48 people. More than 400 people have been killed during a string of attacks mounted by Islamist militants in recent weeks. They coincide with an ongoing army offensive targeting the Taliban stronghold in the country's north-west. Television channel Express 24/7 showed images of damaged buildings and ambulances at the scene in Multan. No-one has yet said they were behind the attack. A senior police officer in Multan Agha Mohd Yusuf told the BBC that there were two to three attackers who came in a car. One of the attackers stepped out when the car reached the check post of the military area. "He put a rocket launcher on his shoulder and fired in the general direction of the office. One building was hit and collapsed. "In the confusion that followed, the other attackers drove inside and blew up the car. This time the office of the intelligence service [Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI] agency was hit," Mr Yusuf said. Even though Pakistan has seen many deadly attacks in the last few weeks, this is possibly one of the most audacious attacks, a BBC correspondent in Islamabad says. |
| Posted by:tipper |