ISLAMABAD, Sept 10:
At least 12 Shias were killed and nearly 60 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at a busy market in the restive Kurram Agency of northwest Pakistan today, officials said.
The suicide attacker blew himself up while a security forces convoy was passing through Kashmir Chowk in Parachinar, the main town of Kurram Agency.
The explosion killed 12 people and injured 58 others, officials said.
All the dead were Shias, said an official of the local political administration.
The injured, some of them in a serious condition, were taken to a nearby state-run hospital.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. The blast snapped the power supply to the area and panic gripped the town.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Footage on television showed the mangled remains of several vehicles.
The blast caused extensive damage to dozens of shops.
Kurram Agency, the only tribal district along the Afghan border that has a majority of Shias, has been rocked by sectarian violence over the past five years.
Taliban fighters who infiltrated the region have been backing the Sunnis.(PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel