Pakistan mourn 18 people killed in a twin suicide bombing at an military base

Peshawar : A city in northwestern Pakistan observed a day of mourning on Wednesday, a day after a twin suicide bombing targeted a military base and killed 18 people, including five soldiers.

A militant group linked with the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in Bannu, which also left 42 wounded, some critically. Militants have targeted the city in the past.

The bombers blew themselves up to breach the base’s surrounding wall. At the time, most residents were breaking their daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan or praying at a nearby mosque.

The blasts ripped off roofs and severely damaged the mosque. Other attackers stormed the base and set off a firefight with troops.

An army statement on Wednesday said five soldiers and 16 militants were killed.

Gunshots could be heard early Wednesday as security forces combed through the area, looking for militants. At the scene, a mechanical digger cleared rubble where homes had stood. Debris-covered prayer mats lay crumpled at the mosque.

Joint funeral prayers were held for the victims at a sports complex.

“All education institutions are closed,” Bannu community elder Alam Khan said. “Most shops are also shut. Rescue workers have completed their operation by recovering the bodies of three deceased worshippers who were trapped under the collapsed roof of the mosque.”

Bannu is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. Several armed groups are active there. A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, Jaish Al-Fursan, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Militants have targeted Bannu several times. Last November, a suicide car bomb killed 12 troops and wounded several others at a security post. In July, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other militants opened fire near the outer wall of the military facility.

Also Wednesday, a bomb struck a shop in Nal — in the district of Khuzdar in southwestern Balochistan province — and killed three people and wounded five, according to Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Dashti. People from Sindh and Punjab provinces who have moved to Balochistan often shop there.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatists seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad. They have previously targeted people from elsewhere in Pakistan in a drive to expel outsiders.

intelligence official Shahid Anwar as he drove to work in the northwestern city of Peshawar’s Uzair Town neighborhood. The attacker, riding a motorcycle, fled the scene, police officer Adnan Khan said. — (AP)