News / Asia

Blast Kills 8 in Pakistan's NW Tribal Region

TEXT SIZE - +

Officials say a bomb blast has killed at least eight people in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region.

Friday's explosion rocked a crowded bazaar in Khyber, home to a major supply route for NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Authorities say at least 14 people were wounded when the bomb exploded near a shop.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.  

On Thursday, a suicide bombing targeting a military convoy killed five people in northwestern Swat Valley.

Pakistan's army launched a major offensive against the Taliban in Swat last year, and later declared the region free of militants.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch urged the Pakistani government to immediately investigate reports of executions, torture and mistreatment perpetrated during counterterrorism operations in Swat.

The international rights group says it has received an initial list of 238 suspicious killings allegedly committed by security forces in the valley.

Human Rights Watch says it has corroborated about 50 of the cases, which were reported by local sources and the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

In the report released Friday, Human Rights Watch researcher Ali Dayan Hasan says killing terrorism suspects and their relatives "in cold blood is vicious, illegal and constitutes an appallingly bad counterterrorism practice that only creates more enemies."

The group referred to cases where suspected terrorists were taken into custody by military authorities and later found dead.  Family members and local residents claim the suspects had nothing to do with the Taliban.

You May Like

Video Greeks Face Decisive Vote as Anti-German Sentiment Soars

Greek voters return to the polls in a few weeks to cast their ballots in a repeat election More

NATO Approves Plans to Transfer Combat Operations in Afghanistan

After more than 10 years of war leaders of 28 countries of NATO agree to wind down their combat role More

Video Activists Urge NATO to Protect Women's Rights

They fear gains made in women's rights since the fall of the Taliban will be erased More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one

Latest Asia News

Gunmen Attack Bus, Killing 7 in Southern Pakistan

More

French President Says Afghan Exit to be Coordinated with NATO

More

China Rejects US Report on Human Rights

More

French President Says Afghan Exit to be Coordinated with NATO

More

China Rejects US Report on Human Rights

More
Read more

Homemade Hovercraft

More

Shipbuilding, Fires, Cyrillic alphabet... « Day in Photos

More