LOC12:00
09:00 GMT
ISLAMABAD, April 25 (KUNA) -- At least five people were killed and nearly
30 others were wounded in a car bomb explosion in a northern Pakistani
district on Friday.
Taliban have claimed responsibility for the explosion.
A powerful time-bomb weighing 40-50 kg planted in a car exploded with a
huge bang in Mardan district of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), a local
senior police officer Tahir Khan told KUNA in a telephone call.
He said the car had been left in the parking area of a police station,
adding that the explosion killed three people on the spot, including two
policemen, and wounded nearly 30 others.
Hospital sources confirmed two of the wounded died at hospital, bringing
the total killed to five.
Police officer Tahir Khan said that the explosion badly damaged the police
station.
Meanwhile, a purported Taliban spokesman, Maulvi Umar, talking to media
took responsibility for the attack and said the target was policemen.
The incident is the first after the newly-installed government in NWFP
launched a new round of peace talks with militants and agreed to withdraw
military forces from the bordering tribal region. (end)
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KUNA 251200 Apr 08NNNN