Islamabad, April 06: Suicide bombers and militant gunmen made a concerted attack on a US diplomatic mission in the Pakistani city of Peshawar yesterday, killing at least three guards and setting off a string of explosions in an incident that underscored the continued strength of Taliban forces in the region.
The assault came shortly after a suicide blast in the town of Timergara, about 50 miles from Peshawar, killed 45 people at a political rally. No Americans were hurt in the attack on the heavily-defended US consulate, but Pakistani guards were involved in a gun battle with militants wielding mortars and grenades as well as automatic weapons, killing four of them as they successfully held off the onslaught.
As the gun battle raged, a series of four bomb blasts went off in quick succession, sending huge clouds of dust and debris into the air. According to Bashir Ahmad Bilour, the provincial senior minister, suicide belts were found on the bodies of the attackers. “They were well equipped,” he told reporters outside the building later. “They had a lot of explosives.”
–Agencies