(AP)
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A pair of suicide bombers disguised as policemen killed 50 people today in an attack targeting a tribal meeting called to discuss the formation of an anti-Taliban militia in northwest Pakistan, officials said. The attack occurred on the grounds of the main government compound in Mohmand, part of Pakistan's militant-infested tribal region. It was the latest strike against local tribesmen who have been encouraged by the government to take up arms against the Taliban.
The explosions also wounded more than 100 people, many of them critically. One of the reasons the attacks were so deadly was because the bombers had filled their suicide jackets with bullets, said a top official who was at the compound in Ghalanai town when it was attacked. "These bullets killed everyone who was hit," he said. One bomber was caught at the gate of the compound, but he was able to detonate his explosives. The dead and wounded included tribal elders, police, political officials, TV journalists, and other civilians.
