Pakistan suicide blast 'kills 30' At least 30 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in north-western Pakistan, police say. The explosion tore through the mosque, near the city of Peshawar, as about 1,000 people offered prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid.
Among the worshippers was Aftab Sherpao, interior minister in the outgoing government. He survived the attack but said his son was injured. The violence comes as Pakistan prepares for a general election next month. President Pervez Musharraf lifted a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the threat from Islamic militants had been contained. But in the past week there have been several suicide attacks. A senior police official said Friday's attacker had taken a place among the congregation, in the second row behind Mr Sherpao. We were saying prayers when this huge explosion occurred. It almost blew out our ear drums Shaukat Ali, eyewitness "Naturally, Aftab Sherpao was the target," the politician's spokesman Salim Shah told the AFP news agency. It was the second apparent attack on Mr Sherpao - a close ally of President Musharraf - in eight months. He is running as a candidate for parliament in general elections next month. Surge of violence Dozens of people wounded in Friday's explosion have been taken to a local hospital. "We were saying prayers when this huge explosion occurred. It almost blew out our ear drums," said another witness, 26-year-old Shaukat Ali. The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says there has been a wave of suicide bombings in the past six months, most in the north-west of the country and most aimed at army and government targets. More than 600 people have been killed, including around 200 soldiers. The attacks are blamed on pro-Taleban militants retaliating for military operations against them in the border areas near Afghanistan. There has been a surge of violence in north-western Pakistan since troops ousted armed militants from the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad in July. Troops have driven the militants from a series of small towns and villages where they had tried to implement strict Islamic law. The army says it has killed nearly 300 pro-Taleban militants in the restive Swat region in North West Frontier Province. The fighting in Swat is the first serious insurgent threat from pro-Taleban forces in what is considered a settled area of Pakistan. Did you witness the attack or were you in the area? Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of which may be published. You can send pictures and video to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or to send via mobile please dial +44 (0)7725 100 100 .. If you have a large file you can upload here. Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7155161.stm Published: 2007/12/21 07:55:34 GMT © BBC MMVII --------------- Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif. __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! Mail - a smarter inbox http://uk.mail.yahoo.com Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
