A car bomb tore through a refugee camp in northwest Pakistan Thursday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 30 others, in the latest in a wave of attacks ahead of general elections in May.
The bomb went off at the Jalozai refugee camp close to the city of Peshawar, which is home to people fleeing unrest in tribal districts bordering Afghanistan that are a stronghold of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.
Live television footage showed ambulances taking the victims to hospital. The bomb left a crater and police were sifting through the wreckage of mangled cars to collect evidence.
District police chief Mohammad Hussain gave the casualty figures. Local administration official Ayaz Khan Mandokhel confirmed the casualties and said that the bomb was planted in a Suzuki Alto car.
"The death toll has risen to 12 and there are more than 30 others who were wounded," Hussain told AFP.
Hussain giving initial toll earlier had said four people were killed and 18 others were wounded.
Fuad Khan, police official responsible for security of the camp, said: "The bomb exploded in a car parked near the administration office where refugees had lined up to get ration and new arrivals were being registered."
"Several camps in the vicinity of administration office were also ripped off by the bomb blast," Khan told AFP.
"I saw about 20 casualties around me as the smoke and dust cleared, but cannot say how many were dead and wounded," Khan said.
Jalozai, an enormous camp that once hosted Afghan refugees, now houses Pakistani tribesmen fleeing unrest in the Khyber, Bajaur and Mohmand tribal districts.
Pakistan is stepping up an offensive to dislodge the Taliban from a key stronghold in an effort to safeguard general election slated for May and crack down on militants behind a wave of attacks.
The northwestern Tirah Valley, hemmed in by steep mountains and replete with numerous caves, has offered Pakistan's umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban a new base in the tribal district of Khyber beyond the reach of ground troops.
Long linked to the drugs trade and militia activities, with an influx of militants evicted from elsewhere, it poses a new threat to nearby NATO supply lines and to Peshawar, a city of 2.5 million and a key electoral battleground.
Elections on May 11 are billed as Pakistan's first democratic transition between one elected civilian government and another, but concerns about security are casting a shadow over preparations.
The campaign also marks the first time that parties are allowed to contest the vote in the tribal belt, a reform introduced by the outgoing government in a bid to clamp down on militancy.
Security has declined markedly in Pakistan since the last election in 2008. During that campaign, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a rally in Rawalpindi, an attack blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.
Officials link some recent attacks to Khyber and fear that Tirah could pose an ongoing threat as the electoral campaign heats up..
AFP
Thu Mar 21 2013
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 17 Julai 2024
Ketua Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata tumpuan pasaran telah beralih ke arah pilihan raya presiden AS menjelang November nanti, yang menunjukkan kebimbangan terhadap Donald Trump berikutan dasar ekonominya yang akan memihak kepada pemotongan cukai dan pengenaan tarif terhadap China.
![Olimpik 2024: Mampukah Pearly-Thinaah cipta 'kemanisan' di Paris? Olimpik 2024: Mampukah Pearly-Thinaah cipta 'kemanisan' di Paris?](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-01/41704813566_PearlyTandanThina.jpg)
Olimpik 2024: Mampukah Pearly-Thinaah cipta 'kemanisan' di Paris?
Penganalisis berpendapat sukar buat Pearly-Thinaah menjayakan misi emas pertama Malaysia pada penampilan sulung mereka.
Niaga AWANI: [Hutang kerajaan persekutuan meningkat] Cabaran antara jimat atau langkah rangsangan
Perdana Menteri pada Selasa umum hutang kerajaan persekutuan meningkat kepada RM1.22 trilion berbanding RM1.17 trilion. Apakah cabaran mengurus hutang ini untuk memasihkan ia kekal di bawah had statutori? Adakah dasar fikal kita masih utuh?
![Pemuda berat 183kg kini tinggal 99kg Pemuda berat 183kg kini tinggal 99kg](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721175184_Pemudaberatkgk.jpg)
Pemuda berat 183kg kini tinggal 99kg
Dia melalui episod kehidupan yang panjang untuk mendapatkan berat terkini.
![Minat risiko ketara, ringgit dibuka mengukuh berbanding dolar AS Minat risiko ketara, ringgit dibuka mengukuh berbanding dolar AS](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-02/81709006000_RINGGIT.jpg)
Minat risiko ketara, ringgit dibuka mengukuh berbanding dolar AS
Ringgit mengukuh sedikit berbanding dolar AS pada sesi awal urus niaga Rabu ketika minat terhadap risiko kembali ketara.
Jiwa SME: Sabun Pro One Active sasar perluas pasaran global
Sabun Pro One Active tidak menggunakan sebarang lemak haiwan dalam pembuatannya selain ia mesra pengguna dan alam lantaran ia bercirikan biochemical.
Niaga AWANI: Potensi sebenar AI Generatif dalam sektor kewangan
Kecerdasan Buatan Generatif (Generative AI) adalah teknologi yang semakin mendapat perhatian dalam sektor kewangan. Ia menawarkan potensi besar untuk meningkatkan produktiviti, kecekapan, dan ketepatan dalam pelbagai aspek perkhidmatan kewangan. Apakah langkah yang boleh diambil Malaysia untuk membina infrastruktur yang baik bagi menyokong penggunaan AI generatif dalam sektor kewangan?
![Bas terjunam ke dalam cerun ragut 23 nyawa di Peru Bas terjunam ke dalam cerun ragut 23 nyawa di Peru](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721173567_tbbusplummetsoffc.jpg)
Bas terjunam ke dalam cerun ragut 23 nyawa di Peru
Kemalangan itu berlaku di lebuh raya Los Libertadores di Ayacucho di selatan-tengah Andes.
Niaga AWANI: [Transisi tenaga] Cabaran besar menanti Malaysia
Fokus perubahan tenaga yang Malaysia mahu laksanakan hadir dengan cabaran yang besar dan memerlukan bukan sahaja iltizam politik, sebaliknya sistem utuh dan kerjasama pelabagai pihak khususnya sektor korporat.
AWANI Pagi: Keselamatan kebakaran dalam pemasangan panel solar atas bumbung
[LANGSUNG] Fokus #AWANIpagi 17 Julai 2024 8.30 pagi,
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Rabu bersama PgB Muhamad Zahin Ishak, Pegawai Cawangan Perakuan Keselamatan Kebakaran, Bahagian Keselamatan Kebakaran, Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia membincangkan antaranya langkah-langkah keselamatan utama yang perlu diambil semasa pemasangan panel solar atas bumbung untuk mengurangkan risiko kebakaran.
Diskusi 8.30 pagi Rabu bersama PgB Muhamad Zahin Ishak, Pegawai Cawangan Perakuan Keselamatan Kebakaran, Bahagian Keselamatan Kebakaran, Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia membincangkan antaranya langkah-langkah keselamatan utama yang perlu diambil semasa pemasangan panel solar atas bumbung untuk mengurangkan risiko kebakaran.