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Taliban claim responsibility for twin suicide attacks: minister

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Dec 7, IRNA -- Pakistani Taliban Monday claimed responsibility for twin suicide attacks on a meeting of pro-government tribal elders in a tribal region, which killed at least 50 people, local media reported.

The bombers, riding motorcycles, struck the government office at Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand agency, a regional official Shams-ul-Islam said.

Shams-ul-Islam also said that over 100 people were present in the office of Assistant Political Agent, Roshan Khan, when the bombers detonated their bombs.

Sources said that Roshan Khan was also injured in the attacks.

Witnesses said that the pro-government tribal elders were holding a jirga or council with the officials at the time of the attacks. They said that several members of the peace committee were among the victims. Sources said the meeting was called to organize anti-Taliban ‘lashkar’ or army.

The two slain tribal elders were identified as Malik Salim Khan and Malik Kachkol.

Both blasts took place in seconds, the witnesses said. The security forces tried to arrest the second bomber shortly after the first blast but he also detonated his bomb, officials said.

Information Minister of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters in Peshawar that 50 people were killed and 120 others were injured.

Dawn TV reported that Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadliest attacks.

Hussain said that the Taliban militants do not have any respect for innocent people.

Officials said that two local journalists, Muhammad Pervez and Wahab, who were covering the tribal jirga, were also killed in the blasts.

The office of political agent and several other buildings were also destroyed in the attacks.

This is the second major suicide attack in Mohmand Agency in five months.

In July, a Taliban suicide bomber killed nearly 100 people in Mohmand agency when he struck the office of local administrator.

Mohamand Agency is located on the main road between Peshawar and Bajaur tribal region, once the stronghold of Taliban militants.

Officials believe that Taliban militants, who fled the Bajaur region after the military operation, have taken shelter in the mountainous areas of Mohmand agency.

Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi said everybody appreciated Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s Eid al-Fitr statement about Pakistan ’s flood victims.

He added that it was Ayatollah Khamenei’s appeal to the Iranian nation that generated a good amount of funds for the Pakistani people.

Expressing his views Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi said that Iranian help to Pakistani flood affectees should continue in the reconstruction phase.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30111878