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Journalism of Courage
Taliban militants,dressed in battle fatigues,on Monday made a brazen attempt to storm the US consulate in Peshawar with car bombs and grenades as a suicide bomber unleashed carnage at a rally near here killing a total of 46 people.
While 43 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the suicide bombing in Timergara in Lower Dir,three others,including a policeman,lost their lives in the attack targeting the US consulate.
Six heavily-armed attackers came in two cars and raked two security checkposts of the consulate with gunfire as a series of grenade explosions rocked the cantonment area before they were gunned down by the security forces.
The target was certainly the American consulate but they didnt succeed in getting there, a police official said as senior provincial minister Bashir Bilour asserted that the militants were well-equipped and it was a well-organised attack. The attackers were carrying a large amount of explosives and several suicide jackets,Bilour said.
The US Embassy said in a statement in Islamabad that the coordinated attack involved a vehicle suicide bomb and terrorists attempting to enter the consulate using grenades and weapons fire.
Two security guards were killed and a number of others were seriously wounded,the statement said. No Americans were killed in the assault.
Though TV channels reported that the outer wall of the consulate was damaged,the embassy statement remained silent on this.
The bodies of six militants were found in the area,Geo News channel quoted its sources as saying.
Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack with its spokesman Azam Tariq saying 3,000 fidayeen were ready to target the Americans. It also warned more attacks against the US.
Several important military facilities are situated near the consulate. The three blasts occurred within 20 minutes in the area. The first blast went off at 1.19 pm and two others occurred at 1.31 and 1.33 pm.
The Geo News footage showed the second blast apparently occurred in an area where several cars were parked. It was followed by the sound of heavy firing. The third blast went off a minutes later.
Hours earlier,a suicide bomber struck a political gathering of NWFP8217;s ruling Awami National Party to celebrate the renaming of the Pashtun dominated province as Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa. At least 43 people were killed and 100 others injured in the attack in Timergara in Lower Dir.
The blast occurred at a rest house in Timergara,the headquarters of lower Dir,where the ANP had organised the rally.
Sultan Zeb,an ANP leader,was among the dead and party leader Zahid Khans brother was injured in the attack.
Several witnesses said they had seen police firing at the suicide bomber before he detonated his explosives. A large number of people had gathered for the celebration organised by the ANP,which leads the ruling coalition in the NWFP.
White House condemns attack
WASHINGTON: The White House strongly condemned a militant attack on the US consulate in the Peshawar on Monday. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the US response was one of great concern. We strongly condemn the violence and the actions, Gibbs told reporters when asked about the attack. Extremists in Pakistan have succeeded in killing Pakistanis,which I think hardens the view that has led to gains that have been made over the course of the year against extremism by native Pakistanis. Reuters
