Islamists suspected of Pakistan blast; toll to 16
Source: Reuters
By Gul Yousafzai QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Pakistani investigators were searching on Sunday for clues to a bloody suicide bombing in a court after one person wounded in the blast on the previous day died, taking the death toll to 16. The bomber blew himself up in a court in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, while it was in session on Saturday. A judge and six lawyers were among the dead. Officials dismissed any link between the attack and the lower court's work and suspicion focused on Islamist militants, believed behind a recent spate of suicide attacks. "It's linked to the overall scenario in the country," said Quetta police chief Rahu Khan Brohi, referring to the series of attacks that has put the country on edge. He ruled out the involvement of Baluch nationalist rebels who have for decades been fighting a low-key insurgency for a greater share of the gas-rich province's resources. "Investigations are underway and we hope to reach a conclusion very soon," Brohi said. The bomber's severed head had been recovered and sent to Islamabad for tests, security officials said. A photograph of the his disfigured face was published in provincial newspapers. Authorities also announced a 2 million rupee ($33,000) reward for help in identifying the bomber. Twenty-five people were wounded in the blast and one died overnight, a hospital official said. An outbreak of suicide attacks started after an army air strike on a militant base in South Waziristan tribal region in mid-January. Including the death toll from Quetta, nearly 45 people have been killed in bomb attacks since then, as militants have sought to destabilise President Pervez Musharraf's government and weaken his resolve to confront the Taliban, al Qaeda and their allies. Police arrested two suicide bomb teams in southern Sindh province on Friday, and identified them as factions of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni Muslim sectarian militant group that has forged ties with al Qaeda. On Thursday, police arrested two members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Rawalpindi, the garrison town next door to Islamabad. Road blocks have been set up in Islamabad and police are checking all vehicles coming in to the city. Embassies have told their staff to limit their travel in the capital. "It is a serious problem ... this is not an isolated case," said a senior Interior Ministry official, referring to the Quetta blast. "Ultimataly, it's linked to the militants who have carried out the recent attacks," said the official who declined to be identified. (Additional Reporting by Kamran Haider in Islamabad)
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