Pakistan's Peshawar Battered by Militant Attacks
2009-11-20 11:19
Residents of Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, are living in constant fear these days.
There have been eight suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan this month, six of them in Peshawar. About 110 people have been killed.
On Friday the mood was gloomy after two deadly attacks the day before.
In the first attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a court building in the city, killing at least 18 people.
[Muneeb Khan, Court Employee]:
"At the time of the blast, a red car was parked near the gate of the court. There was a rush at the gate because policemen were checking people before allowing them to enter. This young man, who was around 20-years-old, got out of the red car and tried to enter the gate. Sarwar Baba, who was manning the gate, raised his arms to check him and realized he was wearing a suicide jacket. Baba pushed him and the suicide bomber fell to the ground and blew himself up. Sarwar Baba was martyred on the spot, so were all the other policemen who were at the gate."
Hours later, three policemen were killed and six wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb shortly after midnight.
Residents in Peshawar live in constant fear.
[Ibrahim Khan, Taxi Driver]:
"The situation in Peshawar is really bad. Whenever we leave the house in the morning, we wonder if we will return home safe in the evening. It is difficult to work under such circumstances. We live in constant fear."
The army went on the offensive in South Waziristan on the Afghan border on October 17, aiming to root out militants.
The militants have responded with intensified attacks in towns and cities.
Despite the barrage of bombs, the government says it is determined to defeat the militants with the help of its allies.
