November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing

November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing
Location Mall Road, Saddar, Rawalpindi
Date 2 November 2009
1040 hrs (PST+5)
Attack type
Suicide attack[1]
Deaths 35[2]
Non-fatal injuries
60[3]
Suspected perpetrators
Tehrik-Taliban[4]

The November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing was a suicide attack carried out in front of the Mall Road branch of National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The blast area was considered to be a very safe and high security place which was subjected to a 22-hour siege by militants. Tehrik-i-Taliban blamed for this deadly blast which occurred when Pakistan government announced £3m in rewards for the capture of the Taliban leadership.

Blast

The blast occurred when an alleged suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew up himself outside the door of a local bank near Shalimar Hotel behind Pearl Continental Hotel, which is also a commercial area.

A witness to the blast said, "We were sitting on the second floor of our office. It was a huge blast, Our building shook as if in an earthquake and when we came out there was smoke everywhere and body parts were thrown into our office."[5]

Rescue teams have arrived on the blast area and emergency declared in major hospitals while many education institutions were closed in city and high security deployed in the sensitive areas.[6]

Reaction

The blast provoked condemnations from President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, and many religious leaders and local politicians.[7]

See also

References

  1. "Huge blast hits Rawalpindi safe zone". Dawn News. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  2. Sadaqat Ali; Raja Atif Zulfiqar; Shakeel Qarar (2 November 2009). "Blast in Rwp; GHQ being secured". Samaa Tv. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  3. "Pakistan takes Taliban stronghold". BBC News. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  4. Walsh, Declan (2 November 2009). "Taliban blamed for deadly Rawalpindi bombing". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  5. "Suicide bike bomber kills 24 at Pakistan hotel". Samaa Tv. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  6. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/09-blast-on-mall-road-in-rawalpindi--szh-05
  7. http://www.geo.tv/11-2-2009/52238.htm

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