Pakistan suicide bomber targets crowded area
A suicide bomber set off a blast that killed at least 15 people and injured 22 others today at a crowded police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
The bomb was apparently in a rickshaw that was being examined by police around 8.25am (4.35am Irish time) in the town of Bannu, said police officer Habib Khan.
He said it was unclear if the blast was detonated by the driver or a female passenger, but that preliminary information suggested it was the woman, who was wearing a burqa.
Bannu police chief Ameer Haamza Mahsud said the casualty figures were high because scores of people were milling about at a nearby bus stand.
The blast killed four police officers and 11 other people, including the bomber, army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said.
Because the attack occurred in a public place, he said he did not believe it was aimed at security forces.
The district hospital in Bannu reported that at least seven of the injured were in a critical condition.
Bannu is near the North Waziristan tribal region, about 110 miles south of Peshawar.
