A suicide bombing outside the Judicial Complex in Islamabad on Tuesday killed at least 12 persons and hurt 36, according to Pakistan’s authorities .
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attacker detonated in the parking area after failing to enter the compound and appeared to target a police vehicle. Most of the dead were civilians. The bodies and wounded were taken to nearby hospitals, and police cordoned off the site as investigators began work, reported by Anadolu Agency.
President Asif Zardari condemned the bombing and said “foreign-sponsored” militants must be eliminated. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also denounced the attack and accused India of using proxies to “spread terrorism in the region.” India’s External Affairs Ministry rejected the claims as “baseless and unfounded,” calling them a “predictable tactic” by Pakistan, Anadolu Agency said.
The Afghan interim Foreign Ministry expressed “deep sorrow and condemnation” over the explosion and a separate clash in Wana, South Waziristan. Security forces there were engaged in an operation against three militants holed up at Wana Cadet College, away from a hostel housing about 500 cadets, according to security sources cited by Anadolu Agency. Naqvi said three people were killed in that operation.
The United States expressed support for Islamabad’s counterterrorism efforts and offered condolences to victims’ families, according to the U.S. Embassy Islamabad. The embassy said it condemned the attack and wished a swift recovery to the injured.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
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