Pakistan suicide bombing update

At least 50 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb early Friday at a mosque outside the home of Pakistan's former interior minister, officials said. - Aftab Khan Sherpao, who is running for parliament in general elections next month, was not hurt in the strike, in what appeared to be the second attack against him in eight months. But one of his sons was wounded. - It comes less than a week after President Pervez Musharraf ended a state of emergency in the embattled country, which has been plagued by several suicide attacks as it heads into the January election. Most of the attacks have been on government installations in the country's northwestern region. - The blast sprayed ball bearings and nails amid worshippers holding prayers for the Eid holy day at the mosque in Sherpao's residential compound in Sherpao, a village 40 kilometres northeast of the city of Peshawar, a witness said. - District Mayor Farman Ali Khan said between 50 and 55 people were killed. Local police Chief Feroz Shah said more than 100 were wounded. - Provincial police Chief Sharif Virk said the bomber was praying in a row of worshippers when he detonated the explosive. - "We were saying prayers when this huge explosion occurred," said Shaukat Ali, 26, whose white cloak and pants were torn and spattered with blood. "It almost blew out our eardrums. Then it was like a scene from doomsday." Former security official unharmed - Bloodied clothes, hats and shoes were strewn about the building. Witnesses said the dead included police officers guarding Sherpao, who was Pakistan's top civilian security official in the administration that recently was dissolved ahead of the elections. - In April, 28 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a rally for Sherpao's political party in the nearby town of Charsadda. Sherpao was slightly wounded. - But although election-related violence is common in Pakistan, suspicion over the bombing will likely focus on the pro-Taliban or al-Qaeda militants active in the northwestern region of the country where the attack occurred. - Islamic militants have repeatedly targeted top figures in the Musharraf government. - Musharraf himself narrowly escaped assassination in two bombings a few days apart in December 2003 in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. At least 16 others died. With files from the Associated Press Brought to you by Mediascrape

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YouTube | December 21, 2007

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