Taliban blame foreigners for blasts

Taliban have denied responsibility for twin massive blasts in northwestern Pakistan, blaming foreign secret agencies for the bombings that killed 39 people.
Following the Saturday bomb attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar, the Pakistani Taliban on Sunday denied any role in the explosions.

“We did not carry out this attack in Peshawar. It is an attempt by foreign secret agencies who are doing it to malign us,” AFP quoted Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan as saying.

According to police and medics, the death toll of the blasts has climbed to 39 while at least 108 others were wounded.

“Death toll has risen to 39 in the blasts as four wounded people died in hospital,” senior local police official Ijaz Khan said.

He said the explosions occurred just four minutes apart at about 10:50 p.m. local time (1850 GMT) on Saturday and devastated the Khyber Super Market district which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation.

“The first blast was quite small but as people gathered close to the site of the explosion, the second one, which was real big one, went off,” he said.

Militant attacks in Pakistan have climbed as the Taliban have vowed to avenge the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who the US claimed to have killed in an operation in Pakistan on May 1.

Former officials with Pakistan’s military and intelligence service say the US falsely claims it has killed bin Laden in Pakistan as part of a scheme to invade the country for harboring the terrorist leader.

Source: Press TV