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Islamabad bombing kills or injures dozens Islamabad hit by deadly blast
(about 3 hours later)
A bomb ripped through a fruit and vegetable market on A bomb has ripped through a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens more wounded.
the outskirts of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday The massive blast on Wednesday was the latest attack to shake Pakistan, even as government negotiations with the Taliban pick up pace in an attempt by the authorities to resolve years of deadly fighting that has killed thousands of people in the north-west of the country.
morning, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens more wounded, The bomb exploded as morning shoppers were buying supplies at the market. The power of the blast sent cartons of fruit and vegetables flying. Police quickly cordoned off the scene, which was littered with fruit, shoes, and prayer caps. Blood stained the ground in many areas.
officials said. “I saw body parts flying in the air,” said one of the fruit traders, Afzal Khan. “People were dying. People were crying. People were running.”
The bomb went off as morning shoppers were buying supplies at a The dead and the wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. Dr Aisha Eisani, the spokeswoman for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, said her hospital had received 18 dead and had reports from police that more bodies were on the way.
market where the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi blurs into the outer suburbs of the capital. The hospital was also treating more than 74 people who were wounded, said another doctor, Zulfiqar Ghauri. More wounded were also taken to hospitals in Rawalpindi, the sister city to Islamabad, and another hospital in the capital, Pakistan state television reported.
The death toll was likely to rise, according to Dr Aisha Eisani, the There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the Pakistani Taliban in a statement emailed to reporters denied responsibility for the attack. The militant group said it was abiding by a previously agreed ceasefire.
spokeswoman for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences where the Police and officers from the bomb disposal squad were scanning the area for more devices. The approximately 5kg of explosives were hidden in a fruit carton, said a police official, Yasin Malik.
dead and wounded were taken. She said that the hospital had received 18 bodies and had reports from police that more were on The market is located near a makeshift camp for people displaced from fighting in Pakistan’s north-west, as well as refugees from Afghanistan. It is also next to a supermarket that sells food and household items to the capital’s middle-classes.
the way. The hospital was treating 50 wounded, Eisani said. While large bombings happen frequently in Pakistani cities such as the north-weste city of Peshawar or the southern port city of Karachi, they are relatively rare in the capital, which is home to diplomats, generals and top government officials.
A police official, Yasin Malik, said an estimated five kilograms of explosives had been inside a fruit carton. For Islamabad, it was the deadliest attack since 3 March when a blast in a court complex killed 11 people. That suicide attack was claimed by a little-known splinter group called Ahrar-ul-Hind.
While such explosions happen frequently in Pakistani cities such as the Attacks have continued even as the negotiations between the government and the Taliban have picked up pace, leading to questions about whether the militant group is in full control of various factions that could be behind the attacks.
northwestern city of Peshawar or the southern port city of Karachi, they Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, said it was difficult to say which group was behind the explosion until police completed their investigation.
are relatively rare in the capital. Asked what the intended target was, he said: “I think peace in Pakistan is the target.”
Police and officers from the bomb disposal squad were scanning the area for more devices.