On the 16th of March, an improvised explosive device inside a luggage exploded on a travelling Pakistani government bus killing 15 people and injuring 53 others in the city of Peshawar. The bus was transporting 50 government employees of the Civil Secretariat, and the bomb detonated near Gharbi Police Station in Saddar and a busy shopping district at around 8am.
Five of the injured are in critical condition, and hospital officials said the death toll may rise. “Emergency has been declared and all doctors have been called in to handle trauma,” said Lady Reading Hospital spokesman Jamil Shah.
The militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, allied with the Pakistan Taliban, have claimed responsibility for the attack in revenge for the court sentencing of 13 militants to death on Tuesday, March 15th. The bomb squad said that over 8 kg of explosives were used in the improvised bomb placed under a seat on the bus.
Pakistani security forces have heightened their efforts in fighting militant groups and Pakistani Taliban since the December 2014 massacre of 134 children at a school in Peshawar. Earlier this month, two Pakistani employees of the US consulate and soldiers were killed in a bombing during a drug-eradication mission. Militant groups have been targeting civilians and attacking security forces despite losing territory.
To read more, visit:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-pakistan-busblast-idUKKCN0WI0DF http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/16/bomb-kills-15-bus-riding-government-employees-fifth-helmand-district-falls-to-the-taliban-kashmiri-students-beaten-up-over-beef-rumors/ http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/16-Mar-2016/bus-bomb-explosion-kills-15-in-peshawar