Suicide Bomber
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide bomber in a school uniform attacked soldiers during morning exercises at a Pakistani army training camp Thursday, killing at least 18 troops and wounding more than 20 others, police said. The attack in the northwest town of Mardan showed that despite years of army operations against their hideouts along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda-linked fighters retain the ability to strike back. It was one of the worst attacks on security forces in recent months.
Senior police official Abdullah Khan confirmed the death toll and said some of the wounded were in critical condition.
Despite his apparent disguise, the bomber's ability to get his explosives into the facility undetected signaled a failure on the part of the military. Such army areas are usually heavily guarded, though an attack on the same training facility in 2006 killed 35 soldiers.
Troops quickly cordoned off the area and even police had a difficult time getting through.
No particular militant group immediately claimed responsibility Thursday, though the Pakistani Taliban have staged such attacks in the past.
The army has staged multiple offensives in Pakistan's northwest aimed at taking out the Pakistani Taliban in recent years. Its efforts against the group, which is distinct from but linked to the Afghan Taliban, appear to have been largely successful — but violence persists.
The U.S. has encouraged Pakistan to eliminate militants hiding on its soil in the belief that the stability of the nuclear-armed Muslim nation is critical to preventing terrorist groups from finding safe havens from which to plan attacks on the West.
Washington also needs cooperation from Pakistan to ensure progress in the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
