A suicide attack outside a crowded court complex in Peshawar killed at least 10 people and wounded 50 others as Pakistani troops gunned down four militants during operations in the restive Swat valley and Waziristan tribal region, officials said today.
The bomber, who came to the Peshawar court complex in a rickshaw, blew himself up when police opened fire, said North West Frontier Province (NWFP) senior minister Bashir Bilour.
Ten people, including two policemen and as many lawyers, were killed in the blast. Nearly 50 injured people were brought to Lady Reading Hospital and four of them were in a serious condition.
In a separate bomb attack in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, eight persons, including a child, were injured, police said.
The bomb, hidden in a motorcycle parked outside the gate of a residential complex for government officers, was detonated by remote control, police said.
During operations in the restive Swat valley and Waziristan tribal region, Pakistani troops killed four militants and apprehended 17 others with links to the terrorists, authorities said today.
Security forces gunned down four militants during a search operation at Goraghat in Swat, which has witnessed a spurt in violence in the past two weeks.
The army had said it had cleared most parts of the northwestern valley, located 160km from Islamabad, of the Taliban nearlytwo months ago.In the past few weeks, car bombs and suicide attackers have targeted public places like markets, police check posts and security facilities in Peshawar, including the provincial headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
NWFP minister Bilour said there could have been more casualties if the bomber had managed to enter the sessions court complex on Jail Road, a high-security area in Peshawar.
To a question about claims that India and the US were behind such attacks, he said "no Americans or RAW agents are carrying out these blasts".
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for today's bombing, but most of such attacks in the last few months have been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.
The group has carried out a series of revenge attacks since Pakistani security forces launched a massive offensive against them in the restive northwest tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistani troops captured seven suspects during operations at different places in Swat, including the former Taliban strongholds of Kanju and Kabal.
Ten more militants surrendered to security forces across the valley.
In South Waziristan tribal region, troops captured six suspects from a relief camp set up in Jandola sector for people displaced by the fighting in the region.
Security forces arrested four suspects in Razmak sector while a soldier was injured during a skirmish in the same area. Troops conducted search operation at several villages in Razmak sector and cleared dozens of militant-held compounds.
In Shakai sector, security forces cleared 40 compounds and seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including 14.5 mm guns and IEDs.
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