A suicide bombing at the Pakistani border at Wagah has killed 60 and wounded over a hundred. This may well have been just one part of a series of attacks in this area that were subsequently prevented by the security services. This Indian-Pakistani border crossing features a daily guard ceremony which is a carefully choreographed part spectacle, part military tradition and is attended by hundreds of people on both sides of the border with nationalistic fervor. In this attack on Sunday the bomber detonated explosives near the outer portion of the event as people were leaving the area once the border activities had finished. The Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, based in the north-western region of Pakistan is reported to have taken responsibility for this terrorist attack.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives amongst people leaving the Wagah border ceremony
“The Pakistani Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in revenge for the army’s operations in North Waziristan and the killing of their fellow militants there. Ahrar broke off from the Taliban in August, after several commanders had a falling out with the rest of the Taliban leadership.
“We will continue such attacks,” the group’s spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, told The Associated Press. He spoke over the phone from an undisclosed location.” (Seattle Times/AP)
