Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 36 at Pakistan Funeral

At least 36 killed in biggest attack in the country this year
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 9, 2011 10:42 AM CST
Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 36 at Pakistan Funeral
A Pakistani rescue worker collects prayer rugs amid the shoes and caps of mourners after a bomb blast in Matani near Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.   (Mohammad Sajjad)

A suicide bomber struck a funeral attended by anti-Taliban militiamen in northwestern Pakistan today, killing at least 36 mourners and wounding more than 100 in the deadliest militant attack in the country this year. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. Police said about 300 people were attending the funeral for the wife of a militiaman in the Matani area when the bomber struck. TV footage showed men picking up bloodied sandals and caps from a dusty, open space where mourners had gathered.

Witnesses said the bomber, who appeared to be in his late teens, showed up at the funeral just as it was about to begin. "We thought this youth was coming to attend the funeral, but he suddenly detonated a bomb," one survivor said. Others complain that there was no police security at the funeral. The militia's commander says that his group might cease fighting the Taliban, because the government has not provided it with the resources it needs. (More Pakistan stories.)

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