Peshawar, December 05: A day after gunmen stormed a mosque near Army headquarters in Rawalpindi; Saturday, once again, it was the turn of Pakistan’s north-western city of Peshawar to be hit again.
According to the latest news report, a blast ripped through a restaurant, supposedly a KFC outlet, at University Road, killing at least two persons and injuring at least two others.
Police official Haroon Khan says several vehicles were damaged and the windows of nearby stores were shattered in the explosion. The intensity of the blast was such that some buildings adjoining the restaurant have also caught fire. Details are awaited.
The fresh blast comes in the wake of a major offensive launched by Pakistan’s Army against Taliban militants in their stronghold of South Waziristan.
Militants carried out a series of bombings which have killed hundreds since then. In October, suspected Taliban gunmen wearing army uniforms attacked the Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
The violence comes after US President Barack Obama urged Pakistan to crack down harder on militants operating along the border area to help put down a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
-Agencies