Taliban Bomb Kills 14 in Pakistan

Taliban declares 'open war'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 12, 2008 10:49 AM CDT
Taliban Bomb Kills 14 in Pakistan
A Pakistani police officer looks down through a hole created by bomb explosion on a overpass in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.    (AP Photo/Muhammad Iqbal)

A roadside bomb destroyed an air force truck on a bridge today in Pakistan's volatile northwest and killed as many as 14 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it "an open war" and retaliation for recent military operations in the region. "If this kind of operations continue against us... we will continue this," a Taliban spokesman said.

The blast tore a large hole in the bridge on the outskirts of Peshawar city and reduced the truck to a smoldering wreck. The site was littered with debris and blood. Civilians were among the dead, including a 5-year-old girl. Escalating Taliban violence has raised new doubt about Pakistan's controversial policy of negotiating for peace with Islamic militants, which NATO says enables their attacks.
(More Taliban stories.)

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