At least 17 killed in court bomb blasts and militant attack on Christian colony

At least 12 people have been killed and 52 people injured after two bomb blasts outside a court in Pakistan. They were killed by a suicide bomber who attacked the morning crowds outside a district court in Mardan,in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The bomber threw hand grenades before detonating a suicide vest at the main gate, police said. Lawyers, policemen and passers-by were among the dead and some of the wounded were said to be in a critical condition.

So far we recovered 12 bodies of the lawyers, police personnel and civilians. Besides this, we rescued 52 injured, including lawyers, police personnel and civilians from the spot

Rescue official Haris Habib

The attack comes three weeks after a massive suicide blast killed a number of lawyers in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta. Also on Friday, a group of militants attacked a Christian neighbourhood, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial capital of Peshawar. Four attackers and one Christian died in a shoot-out which followed, police said. Two paramilitary soldiers, a policeman and two security guards were wounded in the gunfight. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway Taliban faction, claimed responsibility for the attack.

mardan court