Shia Muslims targeted in Pakistan's suicide attack: police

A suicide bomber on foot killed at least five people, including three women, in Pakistan's northwest, a senior police officer said Friday.

The bomber exploded his bomb near a convoy of buses, carrying Shia Muslims, in Hangu district, destroying three vehicles, police officer Islam-ud-Din said.

Commissioner Khalid Khan earlier said that ten people were killed in the attack.

Khan said that the bomber attacked the convoy of busses, which was being escorted by the security personnel at Tull, a city in Hangu district. Tull is situated near Kurrum tribal agency. The convoy was heading to Parachinar, main town in Kurram agency, he said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police described the attack as sectarian as Shia Muslims were targeted. Hangu district has seen a series of sectarian attacks in the past but the area had been calm in recent months.

The security forces escort convoy of passengers' buses on main routes in the region in view of threats by the suspected militants and sectarian elements.

Police officer Islam-ud-Din said that 25 people, including women and children, were injured who were shifted to military and other hospitals in the region. He said that the convoy was comprised of 140 vehicles and some vehicles were loaded with food items.

The convoy was stopped after the attack and the security forces blocked the roads to secure the area for safe journey, officials said.

Witnesses said that the people in Tull bazaar shut shops shortly after the blast and the security forces closed roads.

Locals said that Sunni extremists had closed roads for Shia Muslims for several years and they had to enter Parachinar via Afghanistan's Tirkham border. The government recently decided to provide security by the army to the passengers' buses.

Source:Xinhua