Blast in NW Pakistan kills 24 people

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-29 23:40:45

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) --

A suicide bombing took place in northwest Pakistan on Friday, leaving at least 24 people dead and 39 others injured, local TV channel DAWN NEWS reported.

The blast ripped through a gathering in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). More than 100 people were attending the funeral of the District Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal who was killed earlier Friday when the explosion took place in Mingora town of Swat valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said the report.

The station head officer of Mingora Habib Zaman was among the dead. Most of the dead and injured were policemen.

Some local media said that more than 30 people lost their lives while over 100 others suffered injuries in the attack.

Javed Iqbal and three other policemen were killed in an explosion triggered off by a remote control device at the town of Lakky Marwat, around 240 kilometers south of the NWFP capital Peshawar, while heading to police headquarters.

Security forces have cordoned off the site of the blast.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The security forces and policemen were frequently targeted by local militants in northwest Pakistan after the militants in South Waziristan tribal area unilaterally scrapped a peace agreement with the government.

Editor: Yan Liang

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