Suicide bomber kills 8 in Peshawar

A suicide bombing killed at least eight people, including two Afghan consulate staffers, and injured more than 40 in north-western Pakistan on Monday, officials said.

The attacker riding a motorcycle detonated his explosives near a police van in the city of Peshawar, senior police officer Shafqat Malik said.

“All those killed are civilians, while two policemen are among the injured victims,” Peshawar police spokesman Jalaluddin Khan said.

Investigators found the attacker’s body at the blast site, but it was not immediately clear whether he wore a suicide vest or the vehicle was rigged with explosives.

A bus and other vehicles were hit by the blast, rescuers said.

Two staff members of the Afghan consulate were in killed when the explosion hit their vehicle, consular official Alia Mododi said.

One of the victims was identified as Hilal Ahmad Waqad, a son of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council member Qazi Amin Waqad. He was working with the Afghan trade commissioner’s office in Peshawar.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of Taliban-linked bombings across Pakistan ahead of the May 11 general elections.


(DPA)