Second Taliban attack kills 14 near Pakistan army HQ

Second Taliban attack kills 14 near Pakistan army HQ
Mon Jan 20, 2014 17:26:45

At least 14 people, including six military personnel, have been killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city, police say.

The blast happened on Monday in a crowded market near Pakistan's army headquarters.

The market, located near the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, was in one of the most secure areas of the city.

Pakistani soldiers and policemen cordoned off the site of the attack immediately after the blast.

The attack comes a day after a bomb blast killed 20 soldiers near the tribal region of North Waziristan.

Pakistan's Taliban have said they carried out both attacks.

At least 24 others were injured in Sunday's explosion.

Soldiers and paramilitary forces were planning to leave the town of Bannu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, for Razmak in North Waziristan, when their convoy was hit by the blast.

Police say a group of soldiers had been passing on foot at the moment of Monday's explosion in Rawalpindi, located just south of the capital, Islamabad.

Rawalpindi Police Chief Akhtar Hayat Lalika told that the market, 10 minutes away on foot from the army base, was in one of the most secure areas of the city.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this week to address the violence.

The government is keen to pursue peace talks with the Taliban to end the insurgency but there has been an upsurge in attacks since Sharif won elections in May 2013.

RA/NJF
 

Category:
string(698) "[{"id":"1519404","sort":"3153982","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/23/alalam_635155266914998594_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Terrorist Jundullah claims Pakistan deadly attack"} ,{"id":"1531270","sort":"3153983","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/11/04/alalam_635192024286215236_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Four Shia Muslims killed in southern Pakistan"} ,{"id":"1535801","sort":"3153984","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/11/19/alalam_635204616331550790_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Gunmen kill Shia university director in Pakistan"} ,{"id":"1552150","sort":"3153985","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/01/06/alalam_635246303950843063_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Blast kills at least 10 in Pakistan tribal elder's home"} ]"