Suicide bomb in northwestern Pakistan kills 25
(Read article summary)The attack, the second in two days, struck a minority Shiite area. It signaled militants’ staying power in Pakistan's northwest despite Army efforts to oust them and possible sectarian motives.
A suicide car bomb exploded in a market in northwestern Pakistan Friday, killing about 25 people and highlighting the continuing violence in Pakistan’s northwest despite government offensives aimed at dislodging Taliban militants.
The blast struck a hotel in a market area Friday in Usterzai, a small village on the outskirts of Kohat and about 40 miles from Peshawar, as families were shopping for the upcoming holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
It is the second attack in the area in as many days; a bomb in Kohat on Thursday wounded six people. The area has a significant Shiite population in a majority-Sunni country.
Agence France-Presse reports that the market was packed with shoppers when the bomb exploded near a bus stop, destroying shops and vehicles in the area.
The Associated Press reports that the target was a small hotel.
