Suicide bomber strikes funeral in Pakistan

A suicide bomber with the Pakistani Taliban killed at least 36 people and wounded more than 100 others who were attending the funeral of the wife of a pro-government tribal leader in north-western Pakistan on Wednesday.

The blast near the city of Peshawar was not far from the tribally administered regions bordering Afghanistan where militants are at their strongest. The area where the attack occurred is also home to several tribal militia groups that battle the Taliban with the support of the government.

Though the fighting in the border region has been heavy since at least 2008, the military believes it is winning the fight against the Islamic militants there.

The Director for Trans-national Threats and Political Risk at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Nigel Inkster told Vatican Radio his main concern is for the Punjab, which is the area from which the Army of Pakistan draws most of its officer corps. “[I]f groups, which have been collectively referred to as the Punjab Taliban continue to gain purchase [in Punjab Province],” says Inkster, “then I think that raises some quite important questions for the stability of the state.”

On Tuesday, a car bomb at a gas station in the Punjabi industrial city, Faisalabad, killed 25 people and injured at least 120 others. Authorities on Wednesday announced that three arrests have been made in connection with the Faisalabad incident.

Listen to Chris Altieri’s interview with Nigel Inkster: