Taliban’s war against women in Peshawar

ISLAMABAD: A car bomb packed with 150 kg of explosives ripped through a bustling commercial hub, including a market meant exclusively for women, in Pakistan���s Peshawar city on Wednesday, killing at least 95 people and injuring 213 others, hours after US secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived here to discuss fight against terror.

The toll could be higher as many people are still believed to be trapped in the rubble of six buildings that collapsed due to the powerful blast. Many of the dead and injured in the explosion were women and children.

The blast, heard across Peshawar, occurred in the congested ���Peepal Mandi��� area of NWFP capital Peshawar shortly after 1 pm local time. Meena Bazar, a market exclusively for women, bore the brunt of the blast. Many bodies were charred and missing limbs, witnesses said.

The blast sparked a major fire and white smoke billowed over the city. Footage on television showed two rows of shops on either side of a narrow road going up in flames and collapsing. Dozens of shops and several cars were gutted by the fire while the blast damaged a mosque. The fire spread rapidly as most buildings in the area were made of wood.

Mr Shafqat Malik, chief of the city���s bomb disposal squad, said the blast, the 13th terror attack in Peshawar in recent weeks, was caused by a car bomb packed with 150 kg of explosives.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack that destroyed shops selling bangles, dresses and toys. However, Pakistani authorities have blamed the Taliban, against whom a major military operation is on in the militant stronghold of Waziristan, for the recent terror attacks in the country.

Rescue workers scoured the debris for survivors and the injured were still being taken to hospitals over three hours after the blast. Doctors said 50 of the injured were in a serious condition.

NWFP information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters that many of the dead and injured were women and children. ���We will not lose our courage and we will continue our ���jihad��� to eliminate these terrorists. We will not forgive these killers. We may lose our lives but we will continue this ���jihad���,��� Mr Hussain said.

Ms Clinton, who arrived in Islamabad on her maiden official visit a few hours before the blast, said Pakistan had ���endured a barrage of attacks��� for its role in the war on terror.

She pledged that the US would stand should-to-shoulder with the Pakistani people in their campaign against extremists.