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Pakistan attack kills 15 people | |
(20 minutes later) | |
A bomb blast in Pakistan's north-west city of Peshawar has killed at least 15 people - mostly policemen including two senior officers - officials say. | |
At least 30 others were injured by the explosion just before a Shia religious procession was to start. | |
It is not clear who carried out the attack in a crowded area of the city. | It is not clear who carried out the attack in a crowded area of the city. |
This is the second deadly blast in Pakistan in two days. On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Islamabad hotel, also killing a guard. | |
Provincial police chief Sharif Virk said that the city police chief Malik Saab was among the dead, AP news agency reported. | Provincial police chief Sharif Virk said that the city police chief Malik Saab was among the dead, AP news agency reported. |
I was shocked by a big explosion. I thought my eardrums had burst. Aziz Khan Policeman | |
Security forces have been on high alert ahead of the annual Shia festival of Ashoura. | Security forces have been on high alert ahead of the annual Shia festival of Ashoura. |
In recent years Sunni extremists have targeted Shias during this period, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. | In recent years Sunni extremists have targeted Shias during this period, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. |
There have also been threats of retaliation following government strikes against militants in the nearby tribal areas. | There have also been threats of retaliation following government strikes against militants in the nearby tribal areas. |
'In a bad way' | |
Most of the victims were police and municipal officials clearing the route for a Shia procession, officer Aziz Khan - who was on duty near the mosque - told AP. | |
"I was shocked by a big explosion. I thought my eardrums had burst. Then there were flames and the people were in panic. | |
"I remembered that there was a police contingent, so I went to see what had happened to my colleagues. Many were wounded in a bad way," he said. |