Bomb kills at least 11 in Pakistani market

PanARMENIAN.Net - A bomb ripped through a market area in a northwest Pakistan tribal town near the Afghan border on Saturday, June 16, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 20, officials said, according to AFP.

The blast took place in the main bazaar of Landi Kotal in Khyber tribal district, local administration official Arshad Khan said. "The bomb exploded near a bus stand and initial reports said 11 people died and more than 20 were wounded," Khan told AFP.

Irfan Ahmed, a doctor at the state run Landi Kotal Hospital, put the toll at 12 dead. "We have received 12 bodies and more than 20 wounded. Some are in serious condition," he said.

Khan said the blast appeared to be aimed at members of the pro-government Zakha Khel tribe, who oppose a local warlord.

Nobody claimed responsibility but Islamist militants have carried out several attacks in the area. Pakistan is on the frontline of the U.S.-led war on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, who Washington says use the semi-autonomous tribal areas as a global hub.

Since July 2007, a Taliban-led insurgency concentrated in the northwest has been fighting against the U.S.-allied government. In the last five years, attacks blamed on Islamist bombers have killed more than 5,000 people.