Suicide attack kills 14 in NW Pakistan's Swat

MINGORA, Pakistan, March 13, 2010 (Xinhua) --

The death toll in the suicide attack in northwest Pakistan's Swat has risen to 14, including two soldiers, two policemen and a child, police sources said Saturday.

District Police Officer Qazi Ghulam Farooq said that more than 30 people were injured on Saturday in the attack in the busy area of Mingora, the main city in Swat.

He said that the bomber was in an auto rickshaw and detonated his bomb near check post outside the district court.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The police said that suspected Taliban are behind the attack.

Witnesses and officials had different versions of the attack. The army-run media center and witnesses said that the bomber was on foot and was trying to enter the premises of district court. They said that the security personnel fired at the bomber after he refused to stop.

The check post was established near district court and the area was heavily guarded and the bomber succeeded to reach the check post.

The injured were taken to main hospital in the area and the people closed markets.

Witnesses said that some 25 vehicles were destroyed and several shops and roadside restaurants were damaged in the attack.

The authorities imposed curfew in the area and security forces launched a search operation to apprehend the facilitators of the bomber.