January 4, 2009

Suicide bomber in Pakistan kills six

Six people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a cafe in northwestern Pakistan Sunday night.

As police gathered to investigate a small explosion at the cafe, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives, killing six people.

The attack happened in the town of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, a frequent scene of suicide attacks.

No one was killed in the first blast, which happened at a cafe near a local college, the town's mayor, Haji Abdul Rauf, said. Four residents and two police officers were killed and 20 others injured when the suicide bomber struck 10 minutes later, Rauf said.

The mayor said the attackers were targeting police by intentionally attracting a crowd with the first blast.

A local journalist said the two civilians killed were journalists that had arrived after the first explosion.

In November, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the midst funeral procession in Dera Ismail Khan, killing at least seven people and injuring 30 more, police said. Days earlier, a suicide bomber struck a mosque during evening prayers in the Bajaur region of North West Frontier Province, killing seven people.

The province is located near Pakistan's tribal regions that border Afghanistan where Pakistani security forces have been battling Islamic militants.