14 Killed As Blast Hits Air Force Truck

PAKISTAN: Fourteen people were killed today when a roadside bomb hit a Pakistan air force truck.

The blast hit the vehicle on a bridge on the outskirts of Peshawar, as it headed for the nearby base in Badaber.

Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said militants linked to al Qaida were likely to be behind the attack.

The powerful explosion went off around 11am and tore a large hole in the bridge, reducing the Mazda truck to a smouldering wreck.

The bombing follows threats from Taliban militants to launch attacks on the government in retaliation for military operations in the north-western frontier region bordering Afghanistan.

And it came as Pakistani army gunship helicopters attacked suspected militant positions in the Bajur tribal area.

Officials have said about 100 militants and nine paramilitary troops have been killed in the clashes so far. Thousands of residents have reportedly fled the area.

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

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