Pakistan bombs kill 10, hurt 14, underscore threat

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-10 09:15

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Bombings targeting police killed 10 people and wounded 14 in Pakistan's volatile northwest and the capital, vivid reminders of the challenge facing the US-allied country as its lawmakers pursue a national consensus on battling terrorism.

A man injured in a roadside blast waits to receive treatment at a local hospital in Peshawar October 9, 2008. A suicide bomber attacked police headquarters in Islamabad, warplanes killed 20 Islamist fighters in the northwest, and children died in a roadside blast on Thursday as Pakistan's war with militants intensified. [Agencies]

Later Thursday, two areas in Pakistan's militant-riddled northwest were hit by suspected US missiles, killing nine people, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials.

One of the earlier attacks, an apparent suicide car bombing, occurred in a police complex in Islamabad. It wrecked an anti-terror squad building and wounded at least four police while lawmakers met elsewhere in the capital for a rare, private military briefing about domestic militancy.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb struck a prisoners' vehicle in the Dir region near Afghanistan and killed two police, four inmates and four children. Ten people were wounded, said Sher Bahadur Khan, a senior government official.

Al-Qaida and Taliban militants have established bases in Pakistan's northwest near the Afghan border, and it is that region that bears the brunt of the violence in the country. But in recent weeks, the militants have repeatedly demonstrated their reach extends farther.

In September, a massive suicide truck bombing in Islamabad killed 54 people and severely damaged the Marriott Hotel, a favorite spot for foreigners.

Senior Islamabad police official Asghar Gardaizisaid at least four people were hurt in the attack on the police compound; others said up to nine were wounded. Gardaizi said body parts found indicated a suicide bomber.

The US has shown impatience with Pakistan's efforts against insurgents by launching cross-border operations in the northwest, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is rumored to be hiding.

Intelligence officials, citing reports from informants and agents, said US missiles hit two houses in the North Waziristan tribal region. The first strike reportedly killed nine people, including some believed to be foreigners. The second alleged strike was near a seminary of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, considered an archenemy of the US.

The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Army spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.

Pakistan's government has protested such attacks, which have further angered the public.