Peshawar, Apr 4: A teenage suicide bomber struck a bus terminal in Lower Dir area of northwest Pakistan today, killing eight persons, including an anti-Taliban militia leader, and injuring over 20 others, police said.
 The blast occurred at around noon at the terminal at Jandol Munda in Lower Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
 The attack targeted tribal elder Malik Sufi Muhammad Akbar, who was among the dead, district police chief Salim Marwat told reporters.
 Akbar's son was also killed in the attack.
 The tribal elder headed a pro-government 'lashkar' or militia.
 The attacker came to the bus terminal on foot and detonated his explosive vest in the parking lot, Marwat said.
 The bomber's head had been found and he appeared to be about 15 years old, he said.
 An emergency was declared in nearby hospitals. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
 Officials said they feared the death toll could rise as some of the injured were in a critical condition.
 No group claimed responsibility for the blast, which was the sixth attack in as many days.
 The bus terminal is located near a key road that links Bajaur Agency to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's capital Peshawar and other parts of the province.

DEATH TOLL IN PUNJAB SHRINE BLAST CLIMBS TO 50
 The death toll in a devastating suicide attack on a Sufi shrine in Punjab province today rose to 50 after several persons succumbed to their injuries in hospital, officials said.
 Two suicide bombers struck the famous Sakhi Sarwar Darbar near Dera Ghazi Khan yesterday while thousands of people were attending the annual 'urs' or festival of the 13th century shrine.
 Forty-one people were killed yesterday and the others died later, officials said.
 Over 100 people were injured in the attack, the latest in a series of terrorist assaults targeting Sufi shrines.
 The Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out in retaliation for military operations against militants in the country's northwest.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST