Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Secretary-General condemns deadly bombing in Pakistani city

28 October 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored today’s bombing of a crowded marketplace in the Pakistani city of Peshawar that has killed more than 80 people and injured at least 200 others and is only the latest in a series of deadly attacks targeting civilians across the country.

“I want to express my outrage at the loss of so many innocent lives,” Mr. Ban told a press conference at United Nations Headquarters in New York, describing the bomb attack as appalling.

Media reports say a car bomb was responsible for today’s attack in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the site of numerous bombings and attacks this year. Many women and children are thought to be among the victims.

On 9 October at least 50 people died after a suicide blast in Peshawar and a separate bombing a week later in the same city killed 12 others. Deadly explosions and gun attacks have also been recorded in other major cities across Pakistan this month, including the national capital, Islamabad.