At least 14 people were killed and 52 wounded when a suicide bomber targeted a security checkpost in Pakistan’s Mingora town in restive Swat Valley on Saturday, a day after twin blasts claimed 57 lives in Lahore. Three security personnel were among those killed in the blast.
Swat police
chief Ghulam Farooq told reporters the blast occurred when a suicide bomber who was walking towards a crowded court building was challenged by the security forces. “The security forces opened fire at him and the bomber detonated his explosives,” Online news agency quoted Farooq as saying.
The checkpost went up in flames after the blast and thick smoke was billowing from the area. Television footage showed several vehicles burning as rescue workers were putting victims into ambulances. A nearby public library and a hotel were also damaged.
Pakistan has been rocked by a series of terror attacks since the military launched a massive operation against Taliban strongholds in the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in June last year.