[Al Arabiya Latest] A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-filled car Saturday at a police checkpoint in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 10 people, officials said."At least 11 people have been killed and 26 others wounded," Peshawar district administration chief Sahibzada Anis told AFP, adding that the bomber detonated when police asked him to stop for a search.
Three women, three children and five men were killed in the blast, he added.
Peshawar police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told AFP that two policemen were among the dead, in the second suicide bombing in the city in as many days.
Malik Jehangir, in charge of the checkpoint, told AFP policemen were checking vehicles when he saw a suspicious black car across the barrier and asked one of the policemen to go and check it.
"I saw that there was some argument between the driver and the policeman and suddenly a blast downed me with shrapnel piercing my shoulder," he said.
Another witness, Akbar Ali, said that he was riding a motorcycle and waiting in the queue at the checkpoint when he saw a scuffle between the bomber and the policeman.
"He was a young man, about 20 years old with small beard and wearing a white cap. When I noticed that his body was swollen, I left my bike there and ran away fearing he might be a bomber."
Ali said that seconds after a huge blast threw him to the ground.
Live television footage showed a huge cloud of smoke above the Pushta Khara neighborhood, on the outskirts of Peshawar, and the wreckage of several cars.
Pieces of the bomber's car littered the road. Several other vehicles were badly damaged, with one flipped onto its roof. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
The army offensive in South Waziristan is aimed at rooting out Pakistani Taliban militants who stepped up their war on the security forces in 2007.
The United States, weighing options as it struggles to stabilize Afghanistan, says Pakistani action against militants in border enclaves is vital for its Afghan effort.