PESHAWAR: A young Taliban suicide bomber today blew himself up outside a crowded Government office in Pakistan’s restive northwest, killing at least 23 people and injuring nearly 60 others, in one of the deadliest attacks since the Peshawar school carnage that left over 150 dead.
The motorcycle-borne bomber blew himself up when a security guard stopped him outside the office of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), that regulates Government database and manages the sensitive registration database for the entire population of Pakistan, in Mardan town of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, officials said.
“If the attacker had not been stopped by a security guard at the office’s gate, the death toll would be significantly higher,” Mardan police Deputy Inspector General Saeed Wazir said.
Up to 12 kilogrammes of explosive material may have been used in the blast that caused extensive damage to the office building, he said. The powerful explosion also shattered windows of several vehicles parked near the building. (AGENCIES)
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