Attacker Targets Pakistan Ex-Minister

December 21st, 2007 Aimon · No Comments

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide attacker detonated a bomb early Friday at a residential compound of Pakistan’s former interior minister as he received visitors on an Islamic holiday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, police said.

The politician, Aftab Khan Sherpao, was not hurt in what appeared to be the second suicide attack targeting him in eight months.

The blast went off near the mosque in the politician’s residential compound in Sherpao, a village about 25 miles northeast of the city of Peshawar, police officer Khalid Khan said.

Sherpao and his son, who is also a politician, were both “safe,” Khan said.

In April, Sherpao was slightly wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a rally for his political party in the nearby town of Charsadda, killing at least 28 people.

Sherpao was interior minister — Pakistan’s top civilian security official — in the administration recently dissolved ahead of January parliamentary elections. He is head of the Pakistan Peoples Party-Sherpao, and is running as a candidate for parliament in general elections next month.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story is below.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a residential compound of Pakistan’s former interior minister as he received visitors on an Islamic holiday early Friday, police said. Casualties were expected, but the politician was unhurt, police said.

It was the second suicide attack that apparently targeted Aftab Khan Sherpao in eight months.

The blast went off near the mosque in the politician’s residential compound in Sherpao, a village about 25 miles northeast of the city of Peshawar, police officer Khalid Khan said.

Sherpao and his son, who is also a politician, were both “safe,” Khan said.

In April, Sherpao was slightly wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a rally for his political party in the nearby town of Charsadda, killing at least 28 people.