Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi’raji’oon.
Is Pakistan the new ‘Iraq’ (as it was after the arrest of Sadam Hussain)? At least Iraq is now stable. Would Pakistan ever recover and go back to the peaceful days? If so, how?
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Suicide bomb hits Pakistan police
**Suicide bomb hits Pakistan police **
A suicide bomber has attacked a police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan, killing at least 20 people, police say.
Most of the dead are police and soldiers and at least 12 other people have been injured, officials say.
The attack happened in Hangu district, close to Pakistan’s tribal areas, which have become known as a sanctuary for Islamist rebels.
Pakistani Taleban militants, allied to al-Qaeda, have carried out numerous such attacks over the past two years.
At least 18 members of the security forces were killed, as well as two civilians, senior police official Farid Khan told AP news agency.
He said a local police chief was among the injured.
One official told the BBC that the suicide bomber had driven a truck laden with explosives into the checkpoint. It happened as a security convoy was passing through.
The attack happened in the town of Doaba, in Hangu district, at 1610 local time (1010 GMT), reports said.
Militants based in Pakistan’s north-west have launched attacks with increasing frequency in recent months.
The checkpoint in Doaba is near a major Taleban base located in the Orakzai tribal region, AP reported.
