Pakistan bomber hits US vehicle, kills two

3 Sep 2012, 7:01 pm   -   Source: AAP
A bomb has exploded in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least two people. (AAP)

A bomb has exploded in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least two people. (AAP)

A suicide bomber has attacked a US consular vehicle in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing two Pakistanis and injuring two Americans.

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A suicide bomber has rammed a car filled with explosives into a US government vehicle in northwestern Pakistan, killing two Pakistanis and wounding 19 others, including two Americans, officials say.

The attack in the city of Peshawar on Monday was a vivid reminder of the danger US officials face while working in Pakistan, especially in the country's northwest where Taliban and al-Qaeda militants are strongest.

Insurgents have carried out scores of bombings in Peshawar in recent years, but attacks against American targets have been relatively rare because of the extensive security measures taken by the US government.

The bomber struck the vehicle after it left the US consulate in Peshawar and while it was travelling through an area of the city that hosts various international organisations, including the United Nations, said police officer Pervez Khan, who was part of the security escort for the vehicle as it moved.

The attack killed two Pakistanis and wounded 19 other people, said senior police officer Javed Khan.

Two Americans and two Pakistanis working at the US consulate in Peshawar were among the wounded, the US embassy said in a statement, calling the attack a "heinous act".

"We stand ready to work with Pakistani authorities on a full investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice," it said.

The car driven by the suicide bomber contained 110 kilograms of explosives, Pakistani police officer Abdul Haq said.

The blast ripped apart the 4WD carrying the US consulate employees and triggered a raging fire, local television footage showed.

Rescue workers and local residents rushed to put out the fire and pull away the dead and wounded. All that was left of the 4WD in the end was blackened, twisted metal.

Irfan Khan, a local resident, said he was at a nearby shop when the blast occurred.

"I quickly looked back in panic to see smoke and dust erupt from the scene," he said. "I ran towards the scene along with others and saw two vehicles destroyed and the larger vehicle on fire."

One dead person was on the ground near the 4WD, and a foreigner was injured, said Khan.

"We put the injured man and the dead body in a private vehicle," said Khan. "There were more injured in the surrounding area too."

Another eyewitness, Wajid Ali, said he helped put another seriously wounded foreigner into the vehicle.

But another vehicle arrived, presumably from the US consulate, and took away the wounded foreigners, said Javed Khan, the police officer.

Some of the policemen escorting the US vehicle were also wounded in the attack, and their vehicle was damaged, said Khan.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will fall on Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

Islamist militants have targeted American assets in Peshawar, which is located some 135 kilometres from the capital of Islamabad, on several occasions in recent years.

They unleashed a car bomb and grenade attack against the US consulate in Peshawar in April 2010 that killed four Pakistanis, including three security personnel and a civilian. In August 2008, the top US diplomat at the consulate survived a gun attack on her armoured vehicle. Three months later, gunmen shot and killed an American in Peshawar as he was travelling to work for a US-funded aid program in the region.

Despite the danger, Peshawar has long been a vital hub for US interests in the region. It is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is located on the border of Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the country.

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