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] |
| Injured | 60[3] |
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
- List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
- List of terrorist incidents, 2009
- December 2009 Rawalpindi attack
References
- ^ "Huge blast hits Rawalpindi safe zone". Dawn News. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ Sadaqat Ali; Raja Atif Zulfiqar; Shakeel Qarar (2 November 2009). "Blast in Rwp; GHQ being secured". Samaa Tv. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ "Pakistan takes Taliban stronghold". BBC News. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Walsh, Declan (2 November 2009). "Taliban blamed for deadly Rawalpindi bombing". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Suicide bike bomber kills 24 at Pakistan hotel". Samaa Tv. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/09-blast-on-mall-road-in-rawalpindi--szh-05
- ^ http://www.geo.tv/11-2-2009/52238.htm