Suicide Bomber Kills Seventeen Pakistanis In The Northwest

From The Long War Journal:

Dec 8, 2010 (2 days ago)Suicide bomber kills 17 Pakistanis in the northwestfrom The Long War Journal A Taliban suicide bomber killed 17 Pakistani civilians and wounded 25 more in an attack today at a market in Pakistan's northwest. The attack is the third of its kind in Pakistan in three days.




The suicide bomber detonated his vest as he was boarding a bus at the Tirah bazaar in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police confirmed that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber after recovering his head and limbs.



The passengers of the bus were traveling to the neighboring tribal agency of Arkazai, Dawn reported. The government has encouraged internally displaced people who fled a military operation in Arakzai to return to their homes. The military has claimed that the Taliban have been defeated in Arakzai.



The Taliban and the allied Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have carried out two other suicide attacks since Dec. 6. Yesterday, a suicide bomber attacked the chief minister of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, wounding 10 people. The al Qaeda-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed credit for the attack.



On Dec. 6, a pair of Taliban suicide bombers killed 50 people, including government officials, tribal leaders, security personnel, and two journalists, in an attack on a meeting of anti-Taliban tribal leaders Mohmand. Omar Khalid, the leader of the Taliban in Mohmand, claimed the attack and said such strikes would continue as long as tribal leaders work with the government.



Over the past year, Taliban suicide bombers have also attacked numerous police, intelligence, and military installations, as well as religious institutions in Pakistan. The Taliban have demanded that the Pakistani military end operations in the northwest and halt its support for US Predator strikes against al Qaeda and other terror groups sheltering in the tribal areas