Powerful car bomb kills at least 12 in Pakistan

PanARMENIAN.Net - A powerful car bomb ripped through an outdoor minibus terminal in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, Feb 23, killing at least 12 people and wounding 32 others, including women and children, officials said.

The Associated Press reports that the blast tore through many of the vehicles waiting to transport passengers from the city of Peshawar to other areas of the country. Some of the minibuses were blackened and completely destroyed.

Peshawar is located near the border with Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for Pakistani Taliban fighters at war with the government, and has been a frequent target of the militants.

Violence has dropped off significantly in the city and other areas of Pakistan over the past year following army offensives against the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest.

But attacks still occur almost daily.

Rescue workers transported to a local hospital the wounded as well as the bodies of at least 12 people killed, including one child, said Jameel Shah, a hospital official in Peshawar.

The wounded also included women and children, said police officer Afzal Khan.

The car bomb was loaded with nearly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of explosives, said city police chief Siraj Ahmed.