Taliban bike bomb kills 12 in Pakistan

Source: AFP

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan — A bomb planted on a bicycle killed 12 people in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, targeting police in the latest assault on security forces battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

At least one woman and a six-year-old girl were among nine civilians killed when the bomb exploded as a senior police officer drove through the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, officials said.

"We have received 12 dead bodies and 10 injured," said Doctor Nasir Malik Akhtar, head of the casualty department at Dera Ismail Khan hospital, where he said medical staff had declared a state of emergency to cope with the victims.

Three policemen, including an officer named Iqbal Khan who led a particularly active drive against the Taliban, were killed in the attack.

Doctor Qibla Khan Mehsud said a couple and their six-year-old daughter were killed. "They appeared to be pedestrians," he told AFP.

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they actually were able to conduct military operations.