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Deadly blast hits Pakistan market | Deadly blast hits Pakistan market |
(31 minutes later) | |
At least 10 people have been killed and many injured in a suicide car bomb attack at a village market in north-west Pakistan, police say. | |
The explosion is said to have taken place at a busy intersection close to the garrison town of Kohat. | |
Vehicles and shops in the area are said to have been badly damaged by the force of the blast. | |
The village is close to the Orakzai tribal region, a stronghold of the Taliban's present chief. | |
Hakimullah Mehsud took over as chief of the Pakistani Taliban after his predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed by a US missile strike. | |
Shia village | |
Police officials said many people had been injured by the explosion and they expect casualty figures to rise. | |
Witnesses say the blast nearly demolished one building in the area. | |
Media reports say that rescuers are trying to pull people from the rubble. | Media reports say that rescuers are trying to pull people from the rubble. |
Astarzai village, where the blast took place, is a Shia-majority area and many Shia Muslims run businesses there. It lies 18km west of the town of Kohat. | |
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that Sunni militants in the area have carried out frequent attacks on minority Shias. | |
Sunni Muslims account for around 80% of Pakistan's population and are the dominant group in the tribal areas, although Orakzai has significant Shia numbers. | |
Pakistan's army has been bombing Taliban hideouts in Orakzai for the past month, correspondents say. | |
There were reports of more aerial bombings in the area on Friday morning, shortly before the bomb attack. | |
The last month has seen a series of major attacks on targets across the NWFP. | |
On 30 August a suspected suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley killed at least 14 police recruits and injured others. | On 30 August a suspected suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley killed at least 14 police recruits and injured others. |
Are you near Kohat? Did you see or hear anything? Send us your accounts using the form below. | |
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |