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Pakistan: 13 dead in a suicide attack against an election rally ©
AFP
/ ABDUL MAJEED
At least 13 people, including an influential local politician, were killed on Tuesday night and some 30 wounded in a suicide bomb attack on an election rally in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, police said.
The attack was perpetrated at a meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP), which has already been the target of retaliation by Islamist militants for demonstrating its opposition to groups like the Taliban.
Earlier, a military spokesman admitted that there were threats against the campaign for the legislative elections of July 25.
"According to the first elements of the investigation, it was a suicide attack of which Haroon Bilour was the target, "Shafqat Malik, a police official, told AFP by referring to one of the Awami National Party candidates in the elections.
Another senior police official, Kaukab Farooqi, confirmed that Haroon Bilour was killed in this attack. According to the police, the explosion came as the politician was about to address some 200 supporters.
Haroon Bilour belonged to an influential political family in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital. His father, Bashir Bilour, also a well-known politician, was killed in a suicide bombing in 2012.
At least 54 people were wounded, according to a new record of the authorities.
"I lost consciousness After the explosion, the last thing I saw was a big fireball, "Sartaj Khan, a supporter of the ANP wounded in the legs, told AFP.
Local televisions showed ambulances arriving at the scene of the attack to transport the wounded to hospitals.
The attack was not immediately claimed.
Peshawar, a gateway to troubled tribal areas have been the scene of several attacks in recent years targeting politicians, religious gatherings, law enforcement and even schools.
11/07/2018 01:14:23 –
Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) –
© 2018 AFP
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