TWO BOMBS EXPLODED at a marketplace in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 34 people and injuring up to 100 more.
The Taliban has denied any involvement in the attack, according to Dawn.com, which puts the death toll at 39.
The explosions came late on the second day of the CIA chief’s visit to Pakistan to meet with senior Pakistani officials. The meetings, apparently part of efforts to restore US and Pakistan relations which were damaged by the covert US operation in which Osama bin Laden was killed, focused on the scope of US intelligence operations in Pakistan.
Pakistan is one of America’s main allies in it’s battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and the two have agreed to create a joint intelligence force to track down militants within Pakistan.
The first explosion was relatively small and went off shortly after midnight. It drew police and rescue workers to the site before the second explosion just minutes later.
Student Jamal Khan,22, left his apartment after the first blast and rushed to the scene just as the second explosion occurred. Recovering in hospital from wounds to his arms and face, Khan said: “It was deafening, and then there was a cloud of dust and smoke. When the dust settled, I saw people crying for help and body parts scattered everywhere.”
- Additional reporting by the AP
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