Blasts kill scores in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Suicide bomb blasts tore through a busy market in a volatile tribal region of Pakistan on Friday, killing more than 100 people in an attack that illustrated the Taliban’s potency despite several recent military offensives against the insurgents.

The explosions took place in the village of Yaka Ghund outside the offices of a senior administrator for the Mohmand tribal region, police said. At least 115 people were injured. Authorities said one of the bombers was on a motorcycle, while the other detonated a Toyota Corolla sedan filled with explosives.

The intended target remained unclear. A large crowd lining up for new national identity cards had gathered at government offices in Yaka Ghund’s main bazaar, and the bazaar itself was filled with midmorning customers. Government offices and bustling markets have often been targeted in Taliban suicide bomb attacks.

However, Pakistani television channels reported that members of a local lashkar, or anti-Taliban tribal militia, had been meeting in the vicinity when the blast occurred and may have been the intended target.