Suicide bomber kills 8 in northwest PakistanJuly 8, 2013 - 18:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a pro-government tribal elder's vehicle in northwest Pakistan on Monday, July 8, killing at least eight people, police said, according to The Associated Press. The elder, Malik Habibullah Khan, was not in the vehicle at the time of the attack, but his brother and a guard were killed, said police officer Aleem Khan. The explosion in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province also wounded nine people, several of whom are in critical condition, the officer said. The blast damaged several nearby vehicles and shops. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Suspicion likely will fall on the Pakistani Taliban, which has been fighting a bloody insurgency against the government that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel. The Pakistani government has in the past encouraged tribesmen in the northwest to form militias to fight against the Taliban. The militants have carried out many retaliatory attacks against these groups. Pakistan's new government, which took power in June, has said it plans to hold a meeting with other political parties and the military soon to come up with a comprehensive strategy to fight militancy. Analysts have criticized the government so far, saying its response to attacks has been weak and confused. Suspected militants killed at least 160 people in the government's first month in power. The new government came to power with a platform that promoted peace talks with the Taliban as the way to tamp down militancy in the country. But that plan quickly fell apart when the Taliban withdrew their offer to talk after a U.S. drone strike killed the group's deputy leader. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |