Bomb hits Pakistan military truck, up to 14 dead

Looks like things are heating up Pakistan ! A retaliation bombing here , A Military action there, And always involving civilians!What a great place to live! The AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb hit a Pakistan air force truck in a northwestern city Tuesday, killing as many as 14 people including a 5-year-old girl, as the military pounded insurgent positions in a nearby tribal region.

The blast hit the vehicle on a bridge on the outskirts of Peshawar, provincial police Chief Malik Naveed Khan said. The truck was traveling between the city and the nearby air force base in Badaber.

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Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said al-Qaida-linked militants were likely behind the attack. He said Pakistan had been taking action against Taliban militants, but did not say whether Tuesday's attack could be a response to recent military operations in the region.

"It is our firm resolve that we will root out terrorism from Pakistan, and all of our security agencies are working together to achieve this goal," he told The Associated Press.

The powerful explosion tore a large hole in the bridge, reducing the Mazda truck to a smoldering wreck. The site was littered with debris, blood and also the mangled wreckage of a motorcycle.

A crowd of bystanders gathered at the scene as victims were ferried away in ambulances. Firefighters hosed down the blackened carcass of the truck, and air force investigators gathered evidence.

An AP Television News cameraman at the scene said he saw at least 12 dead bodies and about a dozen wounded people. He said the victims included civilians.

There were varying accounts of the toll.

Provincial government spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain said 14 people were killed in all, mostly air force personnel, and more than 12 people were wounded.

Police chief Khan said 11 military personnel had died, but air force officials said they had yet to confirm that information.

Jehangir Khan, another police officer, said seven air force personnel and five civilians were killed in the bombing. Fourteen other people were injured, he said.

A 5-year-old girl in a nearby vehicle was among the dead, said Nisar Khan, a Peshawar police officer. He said police were trying to trace relatives of the girl.

A bomb disposal officer at the scene, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it was planted under the bridge and contained between 66 and 88 pounds of explosives.

The bombing follows threats from Taliban militants that they would launch attacks on the government in retaliation for military operations in the northwestern region bordering Afghanistan.

It came as Pakistani army gunship helicopters shelled suspected militant positions early Tuesday in the Bajur tribal area, which has been wracked by fighting since last week.

The shelling struck a house in Takht village, about six miles south of Bajur's main town of Khar, killing five suspected militants and wounding three other people, a local intelligence official and a resident said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Said Khan, a Takht resident, said the house was believed to be a gathering point for Taliban militants.

Officials have said at least 100 militants and nine paramilitary troops have been killed in the clashes so far, although independent confirmation of the toll has not been possible. Thousands of residents have reportedly fled the area.