Global General
Twin suicide bombs kill 43 in Pakistani city
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-03-13 10:41
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 Pakistan's security officials and investigator gather near an army truck damaged by suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, March 12, 2010. A pair of suicide bombers targeting army vehicles detonated explosives within seconds of each other, killing scores of people, police said. [Agencies] |
LAHORE, Pakistan - Two suicide bombers killed 43 people in near-simultaneous blasts, the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week and a clear sign that militants have the power to strike targets despite months of army offensives and US missile strikes.
Friday's twin bombings in the eastern city of Lahore, which also wounded about 100 people, raised fears of a new wave of attacks by Islamic militants. With no explanation of why the violence is surging now or how long it could last, Pakistanis have been left to guess at how bloody the situation could get.
Underscoring the widespread fear, a series of small explosions injured at least three people and sparked panic in another Lahore neighborhood late Friday night. Police officials said the five low-intensity blasts apparently resulted from loose explosives scattered through the residential area of Iqbal Town. While the explosions terrified residents and sent police and rescue workers racing through town, there were no reports of deaths or major damage.
The two suicide bombers, who were on foot, set off their explosives within seconds of each other near two trucks carrying soldiers on patrol in RA Bazaar, a residential and commercial neighborhood with numerous military buildings. About 10 of those killed were soldiers, said Police Chief Parvaiz Rathore.
It was the second major attack in the eastern city of Lahore this week.
Security forces swarmed the area as thick black smoke rose and bystanders rushed the wounded into ambulances. Video shot by a cell phone just after the first explosion showed a large burst of orange flame erupting in the street, according to GEO TV, which broadcast a short clip of the footage shot by Tabraiz Bukhari.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Who are these beasts? Oh my God!" Bukhari shouted after the blast in a mixture of English and Urdu.
The explosions killed 43 people and injured about 100, said senior police official Chaudhry Mohammad Shafiq.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion quickly fell on the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaida, which have been fighting to destabilize the US-allied Islamabad government.
