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Central & South Asia
Nato terminal attacked in Pakistan
Rocket strike on facility in Peshawar follows mosque bombing that killed nearly 50 people.
Last Modified: 28 Mar 2009 13:31 GMT

A large number of security personnel died in a suicide attack in Pakistan's Khyber Agency [AFP]

Dozens of fighters have fired rockets at a transport terminal in northwest Pakistan used to ship supplies to Nato soldiers in neighbouring Afghanistan, police have said.

At least 12 shipping containers were damaged in the attack early on Saturday at the Farhad terminal in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province, Zahur Khan, a local police official, said.

Police opened fire at the fighters but they managed to flee, he said.

Afghan-based US and Nato forces get up to 75 per cent of their supplies via routes that pass through Pakistan's Khyber tribal region and a southwestern Chaman border crossing - areas where Taliban fighters are believed to be operating.

Mosque bombing

The attack came less than a day after a suicide bomber blew up in a mosque in Jamrud in the nearby Khyber agency, killing 48 people and wounding scores more.

Pro-Taliban fighters were suspected of carrying out the attack to avenge recent military operations in the area aimed at protecting the Nato supply route, authorities said.

The route passed in front of the mosque, where about 200 worshippers had gathered to pray at the time of the blast.

Relatives and residents buried the bombing's victims on Saturday.

"The whole town is in mourning," said Bakhtiar Mohmand, a local administration official.

Lorries belonging to drivers and helpers who were believed to have been killed after stopping to offer prayers remained parked close to the mosque.

Suspects held

Pakistani authorities are reported to be holding two suspects in connection with the attack.

Tariq Hayat, the most senior administrator of Khyber, said 48 bodies were found in the rubble of the Jamrud mosque and the death toll was likely to rise.

More than 100 people were wounded, medical officials said.

Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad, said many of those killed were members of the security forces.

The mosque is near a police checkpoint and "people in that checkpoint usually pray in this mosque", she said.

Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, and Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, both  "strongly condemned the suicide attack".

They vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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