Shahidullah Shahid, Pakistani Taliban spokesman,
said, “It’s tragic that innocents have been killed in attacks on public
places. Such attacks are ‘haram’ (unlawful).”
….
At
least 23 people were killed and nearly 120 injured when a powerful bomb
went off at a crowded marketplace in Islamabad early on Wednesday. The
deadliest bombing occurred at a wholesale fruit and vegetable market of
Pakistan’s capital on the edge of its twin city, Rawalpindi.
The attack was claimed by United Baloch Army, a little known
militant group seeking separation from the Pakistani state. “We carried
out the attack in reaction to the continuous military offensives against
us in our homeland,” said an outfit’s spokesman.
Eyewitnesses
said the blast sent boxes of fruit and vegetables flying and left a deep
crater at the site. Police cordoned off the area and started search
operation. “It was an act of terrorism,” said a police office, adding
that the explosives were planted in a box of fruit and may have been
detonated remotely.
The dead and wounded were rushed to nearby
hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. “So far, we received 19 dead and
54 injured in the hospital,” said Dr Aisha Eisani, the spokeswoman for
the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. “Almost
all the injured and deceased are adult males, with many exhibiting head
injuries. The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary and preserved,”
she added.
In an email statement
sent to reporters, Shahidullah Shahid, Pakistani Taliban spokesman,
said, “It’s tragic that innocents have been killed in attacks on public
places. Such attacks are ‘haram’ (unlawful).” Shahidullah claimed hidden
elements were responsible for the recent acts of violence in Islamabad
and Baluchistan. “The TTP remains committed to its ceasefire,” he said.
However, inside sources revealed there was intense rivalry within the
ranks of TTP over the issue of the ongoing talks with the government.
The group opposing talks associates itself with slain Taliban chief
Hakimullah Mehsud while the pro-dialogue group is represented by Khan
Said Sajna, a senior Taliban commander considered one of the top
contenders for the post of TTP chief after the death of Hakimullah
Mehsud.
….
regards
