Three separate bombings killed at least 15 people in the NWFP and Khyber Agency on Saturday.At least eight people, including five policemen, two FC personnel, and a civilian were killed in a remote-controlled car bombing in Mashugagr village. Some villagers also sustained minor injuries.
Muhammad Wali, a villager, said the car was unlocked and the villagers had found the body of an old man in it. "The blast occurred when police officials walked towards the vehicle," he said. Security officials said about 40 kilogrammes of explosives were packed in the vehicle. They said it was likely that the militants who had blown up the shrine of Sufi poet Rehman Baba were involved.
According to Online, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and several other political personalities have, in separate statements, condemned the bombing.
Darra blast: In a separate car bombing, at least two civilians were killed and seven others, including six security personnel, injured in Darra Adamkhel. Eyewitnesses said the Taliban detonated a car parked alongside the road when a convoy of Mehsud Scouts reached Bazikhel graveyard. They said security forces launched indiscriminate fire after the attack and arrested 15 locals. At least 10 people were injured, Online quoted a private TV channel as reporting.
Tirah blast: Also on Saturday, at least five people were killed and eight injured when a shop in the remote Tirah area of Khyber Agency was bombed, sources said. They said five volunteers of banned organisation Ansarul Islam (AI) were killed. An AI spokesman blamed rival militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam for the blast.