Four killed in Pakistan suicide attack on army, May 21, 2009

Four killed in Pakistan suicide attack on army

May 21, 2009

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) –

A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives near a military fort in a northwestern Pakistani town late Thursday, killing four civilians and wounding 40 others, officials said.

The bomber detonated his car in the main bazaar of Jandola town, near the tribal region of South Waziristan bordering Afghanistan, a security official said.

"The blast killed four people and wounded 20 others, the victims were all civilians," the official said, requesting anonymity.

A military official later said the blast caused damage to the fort and "between 15 and 20 soldiers are injured."

"It is an old fort, the blast was powerful, it damaged its outer wall and a canteen for soldiers from the paramilitary Frontier Corps," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The wounded were in a stable condition, he added.

Another official said about 20 shops were damaged in the blast. "The bomber, driving a Mazda car, came from South Waziristan region. He was blown to pieces," the official said.

The rugged tribal region has become a safe haven for extremists who fled Afghanistan after the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime in a US-led offensive in late 2001.

Pakistan's military is currently engaged in an operation against Taliban in northwestern Swat valley which has displaced 1.5 million people.

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