Bomb blast in northwest Pakistan kills 8, injures 12

Bomb blast in northwest Pakistan kills 8, injures 12

2011-05-28 16:05:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

BAJAUR AGENCY, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- At least eight people were killed on early Saturday morning when a bomb exploded at a market in northwest Pakistan, not far from the border with Afghanistan, officials said.

The blast happened at the busy Pasht bazaar in Salarzai region, located in Bajaur Agency, and about 35 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of the region's main town of Khar. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

According to local police, the blast at the market killed at least eight people and injured 12 others. Some of those injured are in a critical condition, indicating the death toll could still rise. Security forces have closed off the area and a curfew was imposed.

In December 2010, at least 45 people were killed and dozens more were injured when a female suicide bomber attacked a UN World Food Program (WFP) distribution center in Khar, not far from the scene of Saturday's explosion.

On Thursday, at least 36 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured when a car bomb targeted a police station in Hangu of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was to avenge the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

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