Pakistan army HQ hit by deadly blast
Suspected Taliban suicide bombing kills dozens in Rawalpindi, Pakistan
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Monday, 02, Nov 2009 11:57
By Sarah Garrod.
A suspected Taliban suicide bombing has killed at least 30 people in Rawalpindi after an explosion near the Pakistani army headquarters.
At least 40 more people are believed to have been injured in the attacks, including women and children, on the same day as the Pakistani government announced a £3 million in rewards for information or the capture of the Taliban leadership.
The country's troops are currently engaged in a major offensive in northern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan targeting al-Qaida and Taliban-linked militants.
Today's explosion happened close to a car park of a hotel and close to a bank, near to the army HQ. Pakistan has been subjected to a sustained level of violence over the last month, as the Taliban stepped up its attacks, killing more than 300 people since mid-October.
Reporters in the area said many of the victims in today's attack were elderly people who had been queuing outside of the bank for their pensions. Original reports put the death toll at 20, but this has since risen to 30, and is expected to rise further. Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is strongly believed the Taliban are behind the attack.
"We were sitting on the second floor of our office. It was a huge blast," Raja Sher Ali, a marketing manager in a local company, told the AFP news agency.
"Our building shook as if in an earthquake and when we came out there was smoke everywhere and body parts were thrown into our office."