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A rescue worker looks at the damaged vehicle after the bomb blast in Peshawar on Monday. (Reuters)
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Peshawar, Sept. 3 (AP): A suicide bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into a US government vehicle in northwestern Pakistan today, killing three Pakistanis and wounding 19 others including two Americans, officials said.
The attack in the city of Peshawar was a vivid reminder of the danger US officials face while working in Pakistan, especially in the country’s northwest where Taliban and al Qaida militants are strongest. Insurgents have carried out scores of bombings in Peshawar in recent years, but attacks against American targets have been relatively rare because of the extensive security measures taken by the US government.
The bomber struck the armoured vehicle after it left the US consulate in Peshawar and as it was travelling through an area of the city that hosts various international organisations, including the UN, said police officer Pervez Khan, who was part of the security escort for the vehicle as it moved. The attack killed three Pakistanis and wounded 19 other people, said senior police officer Javed Khan.
Two Americans and two Pakistanis working at the US consulate in Peshawar were among the wounded, said state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, who called the attack a “heinous act”.
The wounds to the Americans were not life-threatening, a US embassy official said on condition of anonymity because the information had not been officially released.
The charge d’affaires at the US embassy, Richard Hoagland, praised Pakistani security forces for saving the lives of the four consulate employees.
“In this dangerous world where terrorists can strike at any moment, we must all work together — Pakistanis and Americans alike — because we have a strong mutual interest in defeating terrorism,” he said. The car driven by the suicide bomber contained 110kg of explosives, Pakistani police officer Abdul Haq said.
The blast ripped apart the SUV carrying the US Consulate employees and triggered a raging fire. Rescue workers and local residents rushed to put out the fire and pull away the dead and wounded. All that was left of the SUV in the end was a carcass of blackened, twisted metal. The driver of the vehicle that was attacked, Atif Nawaz, said the force of the blast knocked him out.
“When I came to my senses, I jumped out of my car and screamed, ‘What happened?’” said Nawaz, whose face and hands were badly burned. “An American was also with me in my car at the time, and I don’t know what happened to him.”
Irfan Khan said he was at a nearby shop when the blast occurred. “I quickly looked back in panic to see smoke and dust erupt from the scene,” he said. “I ran toward the scene along with others and saw two vehicles destroyed and the larger vehicle on fire.” One dead person was on the ground near the SUV, and a foreigner was injured, said Khan. “We put the injured man and the dead body in a private vehicle,” said Khan.
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