Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Suicide bomb attack claims 28 lives in northwest Pakistan

RIA Novosti

15:34 12/10/2009 MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - At least 28 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a suicide bomb attack in northwest Pakistan's Malakand region on Monday, the Press Trust of India reported.

The blast occurred in the main market of the town of Alpurai in the Shangla district, the agency said.

Pakistani TV channels quoted eyewitnesses as saying the attacker blew himself up near a security vehicle parked outside a police station.

According to the news agency, local police put the death toll at 28, with more than 40 people wounded in the blast.

An army offensive against Taliban militants has been underway in Malakand division, which includes the Swat Valley, since early May. Over 2,000 militants have been reported as killed in the region so far.