Re: Huge explosion in Peshawar
Bomb kills up to 20 in Pakistani city of Peshawar | Reuters
Bomb kills up to 20 in Pakistani city of Peshawar
Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:35am EDT
By Faris Ali
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb killed up to 20 people and wounded more than 50 on Wednesday in a busy market area in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a city doctor and police said.
The blast came several hours after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan pledging a fresh start in relations with an increasingly embattled and skeptical partner in the struggle against Islamic militancy.
The bomb went off in the busy Peepal Mandi market street in Peshawar's old city, sparking a fire that engulfed several buildings.
Sahib Gul, a doctor at the city's main hospital, said up to 20 bodies had been brought in, along with more than 50 wounded.
"We have 15 to 20 dead, including 12 women," he told Reuters
Pakistan is on high alert amid fears of retaliatory strikes by Pakistani [Taliban](http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan) militants as the army attacks their strongholds in South Waziristan on the Afghan border.
The offensive came after a series of brazen attacks on the United Nations, army headquarters, police and general public, in which more than 150 people were killed.
There have been several bomb attacks since the offensive began.
The army launched the offensive on October 17 and says it is making steady progress as soldiers push toward the al Qaeda-linked militants' bases in the region's rocky mountains and patchy forests.
Wednesday's blast caused serious damage in the neighborhood of old wood and brick buildings, busy streets and narrow lanes.
"Several buildings and a mosque have been badly damaged while a fire has engulfed a building," witness Aqueel-ur-Rehman told Reuters from the scene.
"I can see three bodies lying under the debris," he said.
(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider; Editing by [Robert Birsel](http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=robertbirsel&))