Pakistan - violence

Violence erupts in Pakistan, at least 39 dead

Article published on the 2009-10-15 Latest update 2009-10-15 11:47 TU

A policeman in Karachi, Pakistan.
(Photo: Reuters)

Violence in Pakistan erupted on Thursday when gunmen stormed three police buildings in Lahore and a suicide car bomber hit a police station in the northwest near Peshawar, killing at least 39 people.

In another incident, a bomb blast tore through a building in Peshawar, killing one child.

Five were killed, including three police officers, in closely timed attacks in eastern Lahore. More than 20 people stormed a police commando academy in Bedian. Some reportedly blew themselves up. Four or five men also tried to enter the Federal Investigation Agency. Police say one of the men was killed along with six security officials.

In Kohat near Peshawar a car bomber drove into the outer wall of a police station, killing at least ten. Police have reported that amongst the dead are civilians and children, and that the toll may go up due to people trapped under rubble.

The past 11 days have seen at least 137 people killed in a wave of violence blamed on Taliban fighters, amid speculation that the Pakistani military is readying an assault on the lawless South Waziristan region.

On Friday, around 52 civilians were killed in a car bomb suicide attack on a market in Peshawar. Saturday saw fighting at an army headquarters near Islamabad where 22 people were killed.

A US drone missile attack on a hideout in North Waziristan near the Afghanistan border also killed at least four people early on Thursday.