Bomber devastates Pakistani town

The bomber blew himself up as hundreds of people were gathered around the office of a senior government official in Yakaghund town in Pakistan's northwestern Mohmand region, where security forces have stepped up attacks on Taleban militants in recent weeks.

The attacker apparently targeted tribal elders who had come to the office of Rasool Khan, assistant political agent of Mohmand, for a meeting.

"Now the death toll is 65. Around 112 people have been wounded," Khan said.

Among the wounded were several people displaced by fighting between security forces and militants, who were collecting relief goods near the blast site. Residents said five children, aged between 5 and 10, and several women were among the dead.

"I was standing about 200 yards away from the office when I heard the blast. I don't know how it happened but I could see several bodies lying on the ground after the explosion and people running in all directions," said Riaz Hussain, a witness.

Television footage showed victims being pulled from the debris. The blast also damaged several cars and about 30 shops, witnesses said.

A security official at the scene said the blast also damaged a nearby prison wall and several inmates escaped.

Pakistan launched two major offensives in the northwest last year against homegrown Taleban militants who have killed hundreds of people in retaliatory attacks across the country, mostly in the northwest, but also in major cities.

Two suicide bombers killed at least 42 people in an attack on a religious site in the eastern city of Lahore last week; Kazinform cites The Arab News.

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