Suicide Bomber Kills 20, Injures 42 Near Pakistani Market

Suicide bomber kills 20, injures 42 near Pakistani market < br /> 2012-05-04 23:21:09 GMT+7 (ICT) KHAR, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up Friday morning at a police check post in northern Pakistan, killing at least 20 people and injuring some 40 others, police said. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.The attack occurred when the bomber, a boy believed to be between 15 and 18 years old, walked up to a police check post in Khar, the main town of Pakistan's Bajaur Agency in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). It happened just a short distance from a busy market square.Several nearby shops at the market collapsed when the bomber detonated his explosives vest, and photos from the scene showed blood and debris scattered around the blast site.Officials at the district hospital in Khar, where an emergency was declared, confirmed 20 people were killed while at least 42 others were injured. Five of those killed were believed to be members of the security forces known as the Levis Force, including a senior officer, another official said. A spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is best known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-05-04