Date:25/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/25/stories/2007112558080100.htm

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Suicide bombings in Rawalpindi leave 15 dead

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Two suicide bombings targeting Pakistan’s military establishment ripped through Rawalpindi on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and leaving many more wounded.

The bombings accentuated the sense of crisis and insecurity in the country, a day before the scheduled return of the former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, from exile in Saudi Arabia.

Both attacks were carried out by car-borne bombers. The bombers were among those killed, military spokesman Major General Arshad Waheed told journalists.

One car rammed into a Defence Ministry bus transporting employees of a “sensitive organisation,” he said. The Associated Press said the employees belonged to an intelligence agency.

Passengers killed

Almost all those killed were passengers on the bus. TV reports said there were standing passengers also.

The second car blew up at a checkpoint outside the General Headquarters, injuring two security guards and killing the driver.

This is the third attack in Rawalpindi in as many months. In September, a twin suicide attack included one on a Defence Ministry bus.

At the end of October, days before Gen. Musharraf declared the emergency rule, citing terrorism as a reason, a suicide-bomber blew himself up close to his office, killing seven persons.