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Blast Kills 15 In Pakistan

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Los Angeles Times

Published: July 7, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A powerful suicide blast killed at least 15 people in and injured dozens of others here Sunday evening, shortly after a large protest rally marking the one-year anniversary of the government forces' raid on a radical mosque. Most of the dead were police officers.

The blast, which appeared to have targeted the security forces, poses a sharp new challenge to Pakistan's coalition government, which has been struggling in its efforts to formulate a policy for dealing with Islamic militants.

The explosion happened just before 8 p.m. at a police post close to a popular market and only a few blocks from the Red Mosque, which last summer became a hotbed of militant activity in the heart of the capital. President Pervez Musharraf, who then was also the leader of Pakistan's military, sent in elite commandos to capture the mosque in a confrontation that left more than 100 people dead.

The capital had been tense in anticipation of the anniversary. Preachers at the Red Mosque have employed fiery anti-government rhetoric in recent days. The mosque's supporters, including female students in all-enveloping black burkas, have staged rallies adjacent to the site for the past several weeks.

Authorities described the Sunday blast as a suicide bombing, but it was not clear immediately whether the bomber arrived on foot or by some other means. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, and local officials quoted a mosque spokesman as condemning the attack.

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