Bomb kills 23 on outskirts of Pakistani capitalApril 9, 2014 - 10:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A bomb exploded at a vegetable market on the outskirts of the capital on Wednesday, April 9, killing 23 people and injuring at least 39, police and hospital officials said, according to Reuters. The early morning blast, as traders assembled for fruit auctions, left severed body parts and bloodstained clothes scattered throughout stalls at the market on the border between the capital Islamabad and its twin city of Rawalpindi. Police said the bomb had been hidden in a box of guava fruit. Dr. Javed Akram Qazi, vice chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, confirmed that their hospital had received 18 bodies. He had been notified by police of five more deaths and more wounded were arriving, he said. Police said at least 39 people had been wounded. Rawalpindi, whose suburbs blend into the capital, is the site of the powerful Pakistani military's headquarters. But the blast occurred far from army buildings and the purpose of the attack was unclear. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Pakistan is holding peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban insurgency, which is supposed to be observing a ceasefire until April 10, but there are dozens of other militant groups. The Taliban are demanding the release of hundreds of prisoners and the withdrawal of the army from some of the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. The Taliban are fighting to overthrow Pakistan's democratically-elected government and impose a strict form of Islamic law. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |