A suicide bomber struck a crowded market on the outskirts of Peshawar on Sunday killing at least 11 persons, including an anti-Taliban Mayor believed to be the target of the attack, and injuring 36, nearly two weeks after a massive car bombing in the northwestern Pakistani city left 118 people dead.
Among the 11 killed were Abdul Malik, a ‘nazim’ or Mayor who was spearheading efforts against the Taliban, a young girl and the head of a ‘lashkar’ or tribal militia, officials said.
They said Malik’s son was among the 36 people injured in the attack, the latest in a series of devastating terror strikes across the country.
The bomber struck shortly after 9.30 am local time, when the market was packed with people shopping for sacrificial animals ahead of the Eid-ud-Zuha festival. The injured were taken to hospital in private cars and ambulances.
Officials at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar’s main healthcare facility, said nine of the injured were in a serious condition.
Police said Malik was the target of the suicide attack at the cattle market in Mattani, a suburb of Peshawar.
Malik, who survived at least five previous attempts on his life, was once considered to be close to the Taliban but later turned against the militants.
Witnesses said the bomber, a youth aged between 22 and 24 years, detonated his explosives as soon as Malik emerged from his car.
