Taliban deny role in Peshawar market blasts

[unknownprince]

Taliban deny role in Peshawar market blasts

Peshawar

June 13, 2011


PAKISTAN'S Taliban denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the north-western city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens.
The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market district, which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation.
A small initial blast late on Saturday night drew onlookers and emergency services before a second more powerful blast, believed to be from a suicide strike, was detonated.

The latest violence came shortly after visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Pakistan to eradicate militant sanctuaries during talks on a peace process with the Taliban.
Mr Karzai and aides held two days of meetings in Islamabad in the aftermath of bin Laden's death.
The Pakistani Taliban, who have vowed to carry out attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden, denied any role in the bombing and said they target only the government and military.
AFP



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/taliban-...#ixzz1P6FJBjVh

[unknownprince]

Pakistan's Taliban deny twin blasts that killed 39


Peshawar, June 12, 2011




First Published: 12:15 IST(12/6/2011)
Last Updated: 12:31 IST(12/6/2011)









Pakistan's Taliban on Sunday denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens. The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market district which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation. A small initial blast at around 11:30 pm local time Saturday drew onlookers and emergency services before a second more powerful blast, believed to be from a suicide strike, detonated and was heard for miles around.
"Death toll has risen to 39 in the blasts as four wounded people died in hospital," senior local police official Ijaz Khan told AFP. He said the explosions were just four minutes apart.
"The first blast was quite small but as people gathered close to the site of the explosion, the second one, which was real big one, went off."
Those killed included two journalists working for English-language newspapers Pakistan Today and The News.
Abdul Hameed Afridi, chief doctor at Peshawar's main Lady Readings hospital, confirmed the death toll and said 108 wounded were brought to the hospital overnight, with 47 of them admitted for treatment.
The Pakistani Taliban, who have vowed to carry out attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden, denied any role in the bombing and said they target only the government and military.
"We did not carry out this attack in Peshawar. It is an attempt by foreign secret agencies who are doing it to malign us," Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP on phone.
"We do not target innocent people. Our targets are very clear, we attack security forces, government and people who are siding with it," Ehsan said.
Nearly 4,500 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other Islamist extremist networks based in the nearby tribal belt since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.
The latest Peshawar bombing badly damaged six shops and the hotel. Pieces of human flesh, along with debris including smashed crockery and broken furniture from the hotel, were scattered outside.
"The first blast was triggered by a timed device planted in the bathroom of the hotel while a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up near the hotel," bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik told AFP.
"We have found a head and some other body parts of the bomber from the attack site," he said.
Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene and taking away the injured, as well as the bodies of the dead.
"I was parking my car near the hotel when the first blast took place. I rushed to the hotel to see nature of the explosion when the second bomb went off with a big bang," local journalist Safiullah Mehsud told AFP.
Mehsud, who was injured in the head and legs, said he recalled being thrown into the air by the power of the blast, before being knocked unconscious.
Muhammad Hashim, a cameraman working for a local TV channel, said he was taking tea after dinner when the blasts occurred.
"I ran towards the hotel after the first blast and it was about that time when I saw a big fireball followed by another explosion," said Hashim, who was wounded in his head and chest.
The latest violence came shortly after visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Pakistan to eradicate militant sanctuaries, in talks on a peace process with the Taliban.
Karzai and a raft of top aides held two days of meetings in Islamabad in the aftermath of bin Laden's death which has heightened calls within the United States for a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
CIA chief Leon Panetta on Friday met with top military and intelligence officials and discussed ways to strengthen future intelligence sharing, the Pakistani military said.
The twin attacks also came a week after Pakistan's Al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri, one of the network's most feared operational leaders, was believed to have been killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan tribal region, near the Afghan border.
Nearby Peshawar is the gateway to Pakistan's rugged northwest tribal region, the stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants, and bomb attacks there are common.


Pakistan's Taliban deny twin blasts that killed 39 - Hindustan Times

[emkhan]

Pakistani ISI is so weak. They will put the blame on Taliban and ignore the real enemy and ISI supporters will say YES YES Taliban did it and India is so innocent, India does not do such things.

[unknownprince]

this has all the markings of a Raymond Davis style operation, especially when you consider that these terrorist attacks involved 'remote' controlled devices. The Pakistanis are to blame for this for allowing foreign operatives to operate freely and continue their drone attacks against people. They get money for this, and the Pakistan government needs to be removed from power, as does the Pakistani army, and everything else. This nation has sold itself to the American government. Imran Khan and his party are the only people that can clean this filthy mess up.

They have lost in Afghanistan, so they are indeed mad, so out of madness they are now doing these things. Not only that, they also make up fictitious identities of people and fictitious chapters of organizations- for example, they have made up a false identity of a guy just now. These losers are truly pathetic in so many ways.


Here. I am sure none of these people exist, and they are in fact coward foreign operatives who call newspapers from phones. Thanks Allah(swt) pashto is such a hard language to master.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=52269&Cat=7&dt=6/13/2011

PESHAWAR: The Darra Adamkhel chapter of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)- NO SUCH GROUP EXISTS I BET has claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in Peshawar Cantonment Saturday night and said some tribal elders from Khyber Agency dining at the restaurant were the target.

Commander Asif FALSE NAME AND FALSE IDENTITY belonging to the TTP Darra Adamkhel chapter headed by Tariq Afridi FALSE IDENTITY, fake name made up on the spot (very usual names they pick), claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to The News correspondent in Kohat. He said nobody else but these tribal elders from Khyber Agency were the target of the bombings. However, he didn’t provide the names of these tribal elders and was unaware if they had been killed.

There was no evidence that any known tribal elder was killed in these bombings at the Khyber Super Market close to the offices of The News and Geo TV. Some sources said these tribal elders may have left the Lala Restaurant before the bombings.

Earlier, the TTP’s central spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had phoned reporters to explain that his organization wasn’t involved in this attack. He argued that the TTP doesn’t attack public places and that its campaign of bombings targetted security forces, the police and government officials and installations. He blamed the intelligence agencies for the bombings targetting public places.

[unknownprince]

Taliban deny responsibility, blame ‘foreign agencies’

Taliban deny responsibility, blame ‘foreign agencies’

Staff Reporter


Peshawar—Taliban on Sunday denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens.

The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market which included a hotel, shops and student accommodation.

The Taliban, who have threatened to carry out attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden, denied any role in the bombing and said they target only the government and military.

“We did not carry out this attack in Peshawar. It is an attempt by foreign secret agencies who are doing it to malign us,” Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told media on phone.

“We do not target innocent people. Our targets are very clear, we attack security forces, government and people who are siding with it,” Ehsan said.

At least 39 people were killed and over 90 injured, among them television journalists and a senior police officer, when two blasts ripped through a marketplace in the garrison area of Peshawar just before midnight on Saturday.

“First a gas cylinder exploded at Lala Restaurant in Khyber Supermarket in Peshawar Cantt,” a witness said. “People flocked to the site out of curiosity,” he added. “Minutes later, a huge blast rocked the market.”

SSP Operations Ejaz Khan corroborated the eyewitness’ account, saying it was a trap. “The cylinder was exploded to attract people to the site,” he added.

Khan said that the bomb was strapped to a motorcycle parked outside the ill-fated restaurant – a famous eatery of the city which is usually frequented by a large number of food-lovers. He said the explosive device weighed around 10 kilogrammes.

Capital City Police Officer Liaquat Ali Khan confirmed late Saturday night that at least 34 people were killed and over 90 wounded in the bombing. The casualties were ferried to different hospitals of the city, where a state of emergency was declared.

Eye witnesses said that the restaurant and several adjoining shops were badly damaged in the explosion which also triggered a huge fire in the market. The explosion also caused a power outage in the area, and security and rescue officials were forced to work in the dark.

Khyber Supermarket is located in a high-security zone of Peshawar’s cantonment area.

The office of Khyber Agency’s political agent and a Pakistan Army residential colony are situated nearby.

The explosion took place exactly where a tribal journalist, Nasrullah Afridi, was killed in a targeted bomb blast last month.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain condemned the ‘cowardly terrorist attack’.

[unknownprince]

Taliban blame foreign spies


Taliban blame foreign spies | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online


PESHAWAR - In the wake of twin bomb blasts in the Cantonment area, shops and restaurants in Khyber Super Market presented a deserted look, as panic gripped the provincial capital on Sunday.
According to AFP news agency, Taliban denied responsibility and blamed foreign secret agencies for the blasts that killed 39 people and injured dozens.
All the routes linking the city with Khyber Agency were partially blocked while most shopping centres remained closed. Security was on high alert, as there were reports that two more suicide bombers had entered Peshawar from Darra Adam Khel.
The power supply, which was suspended soon after the blasts, could not be restored so far.
Talking to media, senior police official Ijaz Khan said the second blast was suicide attack. He said the bomber came on a motorbike. Police have arrested several suspected persons and are grilling them, he added.
According to the police, the death toll has risen to 39, as four more persons including Rizwan Mir and Rameez Anwar were succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile, Khyber Union of Journalists strongly condemned the blasts in which two journalists were also killed and five wounded.
A minor blast took place at a local restaurant in the Khyber Super Market in Cantt area at 11:45 pm on Saturday. Hearing the sound, local residents, media persons and policemen rushed to the spot, when a bomber on a motorbike blew himself up, causing huge losses.
Located just next to the army flats, the area houses many newspapers offices. The journalists, who work in the nearby offices and reside there, rushed to the spot and two of them lost their lives, while five others got injured.

[sania]

here in peshawar many people say it is done by isi. whenever some high-ranking american visits pakistan to pressure pakistan such blasts happen.

TTP has split into many groups. and journalists say act independently of each others sometimes. so it is possible a group of TTP did it.l

but both Taleban, Al-Qaueda, and ISI are evil. they are killing our pukhtoons.

[unknownprince]

here in peshawar many people say it is done by isi. whenever some high-ranking american visits pakistan to pressure pakistan such blasts happen.

TTP has split into many groups. and journalists say act independently of each others sometimes. so it is possible a group of TTP did it.l

but both Taleban, Al-Qaueda, and ISI are evil. they are killing our pukhtoons.

The whole state of Pakistan is the slave to America.


More lies spread by foreign entities. There is no man called Tariq Afridi or Commander Asif. This is the biggest LIE I have ever heard.

[sania]

the daily times editorial explaining why TTP denied responsibility. two journalists were killed and public opinion is turning against them.

It seems we are caught in a roller coaster ride punctuated by one bomb blast after another. On Sunday, an improvised explosive device that was buried near the road in Bara Kahu just outside Islamabad detonated, injuring three passersby. On Monday, a suicide bomber tried to enter a bank in the I-8 sector of Islamabad but was intercepted by the guard, who was killed along with the bomber. It is significant that on two consecutive days, two incidents have taken place in or around Islamabad. Just a day before, on Saturday, twin bomb blasts ripped through the busy Khyber Supermarket in Peshawar Cantonment, killing 39 and injuring about 100. Two journalists were among the dead. Unfortunately, the media coverage of terrorist incidents leaves much to be desired. It is a well-known fact that if you repeatedly flash images in dizzying succession, it has a deleterious effect on viewers. Our news channels subject the viewers to flashing images, text and graphics in rapid succession whenever the ‘breaking news’ message goes on. This is psychologically damaging and spreads panic.

Following the deadly blasts in the Khyber Supermarket in Peshawar, the Taliban denied responsibility and accused foreign agencies of perpetrating these attacks to malign them. The Taliban spokesman said that their only targets are the security forces when, in the past, they have eagerly claimed responsibility for attacks on even shrines and mosques. What prompted them to now desist from doing so? Changing public opinion and the increasing number of journalists being killed in this conflict have compelled media persons/houses to seriously take stock and perceive the looming threat to the country and their own security. The Taliban realise that with even their media sympathisers turning against them, their politics will not succeed. The negative public and media reaction to a series of recent attacks is part of the trajectory of public opinion. Forced by the circumstances, even sympathisers of the jihadi militants within the media have changed their tune and are openly condemning Taliban actions. Perhaps that is the reason that the Taliban thought it appropriate to distance themselves from these attacks that took two journalists’ lives amongst others. However, nobody is buying the terrorists’ claims. All the actions that killed 30,000 innocent people are slowly and incrementally turning public opinion against them. The national psychosis that has been created by these killings and helped by the media is the basis of their retreat.

Armed struggle and violent means are no guarantee of success. It is the politics behind the resort to such methods that determine whether they will be effective or not. The difference between a people’s armed struggle and a terrorist movement is that the people’s armed struggle has to have the support of the masses as a sine qua non. It is actually the masses that are mobilised to conduct the struggle. Terrorists seldom have broad mass appeal, and ours are a throwback to a mythical golden past. Their programme wants to transport people back to the seventh century and does not address modern society’s needs. Only the narrow-minded, die-hard supporters of the terrorists can commit themselves to such an antediluvian programme. Therefore, it is not surprising that the terrorists are now losing whatever support they may have had since the first Afghan jihad days.

What is unfortunate, however, is that Pakistan’s security establishment is still bent on making a mythical distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban. The security establishment has come to realise only part of the threat from the ‘bad’ Taliban because of attacks on the security forces themselves. One wonders how long will they be able to maintain this distinction when there are indications of a deep nexus between the two. The Taliban have operational links in the entire country and have safe havens with the Haqqani network. The establishment, while holding out for the Afghanistan endgame, must calculate the costs of harbouring the Taliban proxies and turning a blind eye to their (joint) activities. There is no other option but to give up this wishful thinking and re-energise the anti-terrorism struggle in a holistic manner. "

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

[graveyardofempires]

^
dear sania please start doing real journalism instead of following Paki establishment reports.

i will help you with critical thinking.

regards

[khushal]

Pakistani ISI is so weak. They will put the blame on Taliban and ignore the real enemy and ISI supporters will say YES YES Taliban did it and India is so innocent, India does not do such things.

Typical brainwashed pakistani response. India is the root of all evil. If the apple falls from a tree and hits you on the head, India somehow engineered gravity.

[unknownprince]

Taliban deny role in Peshawar market blasts

Peshawar

June 13, 2011
Taliban deny role in Peshawar market blasts PAKISTAN'S Taliban denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the north-western city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens.
The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market district, which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation.
A small initial blast late on Saturday night drew onlookers and emergency services before a second more powerful blast, believed to be from a suicide strike, was detonated.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The latest violence came shortly after visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Pakistan to eradicate militant sanctuaries during talks on a peace process with the Taliban.
Mr Karzai and aides held two days of meetings in Islamabad in the aftermath of bin Laden's death.
The Pakistani Taliban, who have vowed to carry out attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden, denied any role in the bombing and said they target only the government and military.
AFP



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/taliban-...#ixzz1PH8PTHhv

[emkhan]

Typical brainwashed pakistani response. India is the root of all evil. If the apple falls from a tree and hits you on the head, India somehow engineered gravity.

You dumb i am against ISI as much as i am against the Indian Raw. I didn't say India is involved in every act of terrorism in Pakistan but evidence shows that India has a vital role in terrorism activities in Pakistan.
But ISI these days cant even open its mouth against India because it has become so weak and after mumbai attacks ISI mouth has been shut by the Indians.

[unknownprince]

Pakistan: Two Blasts kill 39; Taliban Denies Responsibility

Pakistan: Two Blasts kill 39; Taliban Denies Responsibility

Islamonline.net - News Agencies
Twin bomb blasts ripped through a crowded market in the Pakistani city of Peshawar late Saturday, killing 39 people and injuring dozens, a senior local police official said. “Death toll has risen to 39 in the blasts as four wounded people died in hospital,” Ijaz Khan was cited by Pakistani Dawn news as saying.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Taliban on Sunday 12 June 2011 denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens.
The attack took place as CIA Director Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad, 95 miles (150 kilometers) to the east, to speak separately with senior Pakistani officials about intelligence sharing and efforts to reconcile with the Taliban.
The bombing took place near a building that houses several newspaper offices as well as apartments. The attack occurred when a large number of people were dining in the nearby restaurants.
A small blast preceded a big one, which senior police official Banaras Khan said police suspected was carried out by a suicide bomber. "After the second blast, a fire broke out. Several charred bodies were lying on the ground while some wounded people were crawling away from the site," witness Naeem Ahmed told Reuters.
Television footage showed twisted window frames, shards of broken glasses and fallen electricity cables strewn on roads as rescue workers were loading wounded men on stretchers into ambulances.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister of the northwestern Khyber Pukhtunkhuwa (KP) province, told reporters that doctors had said the death toll was 34, "but it may rise as many wounded people are in critical condition." Peshawar is the capital of KP, which borders Afghanistan.
Hospital officials said 100 people were wounded, 21 of them seriously. Several journalists and policemen were among the wounded.
"As I arrived here, one of the wounded man cried 'please take me to hospital, I am alive'," another witness told Express television at the site of the attack.

Taliban Denies Responsibility

Pakistan’s Taliban denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens.
The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market district which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation.
The Pakistani Taliban, who have vowed to carry out attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden, denied any role in the bombing and said they target only the government and military.
“We did not carry out this attack in Peshawar. It is an attempt by foreign secret agencies who are doing it to malign us,” Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP on phone.
“We do not target innocent people. Our targets are very clear, we attack security forces, government and people who are siding with it,” Ehsan said.
Nearly 4,500 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other Islamist extremist networks based in the nearby tribal belt since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

CIA Chief Visit

Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Leon Panetta left Islamabad on Saturday morning after a meeting with Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI head Gen Shuja Pasha, but without a deal on resetting the relationship between the spy agencies.
Mr Panetta’s departure without routine calls on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was seen by observers here as a sign of stalemate in his discussions with the military leadership, Pakistan’s Dawn news said. According to sources, Mr Panetta was surprised by the rigidity shown by the military, which went to the extent of even declining an offer by Washington of security assistance. But government officials insisted that unlike in the past this time he was not scheduled to meet anyone else.
While Gen Kayani had even before his visit made it clear that the Army would not allow the CIA to carry out independent operations and that any future intelligence cooperation would be reciprocal and transparent, Mr Panetta did little to pacify Pakistani generals and instead confronted them with “evidence of collusion with Taliban militants”.
This, a source claimed, would further sour the relationship which had already been under strain since the start of this year and got worse after the May 2 Abbottabd raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
According to US media reports, the CIA chief shared with the military leadership video and satellite imagery of militants leaving two bomb-making factories in Waziristan after allegedly having been tipped off about a raid.
The US reportedly shared the information with Pakistan last week, asking it to take action against the two sites. But Mr Panetta alleged at the meeting that the information was leaked within 24 hours of sharing and by the time the raiding teams reached those places, the militants had melted away.
A defense source said the CIA chief, who is set to take over as the next US defense secretary, reportedly used this as an instance to tell the army and intelligence chiefs why America distrusted Pakistani military establishment and needed to have its own independent operations inside the country to deal with Al Qaeda and Taliban.
The CIA Chief, during his visit, reportedly tried to convince the Pakistanis to allow some critical CIA operations to continue after the agency was asked to cut down its footprint. He also asked for some CIA operatives to be given visas to enable them to enter the country and work independently.
Gen Kayani and Gen Pasha are reported to have insisted on joint operations and intelligence sharing, but no independent operations. They said that a recently-constituted joint task force for coordination of intelligence activities should be the nerve centre of any future ISI-CIA collaboration.
Reuters cited Pakistani military officials as saying that the Pakistan's army and intelligence chiefs told the CIA Director they were not willing to reverse a decision to cut the number of US troops allowed in Pakistan.
During Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed the Islamabad declaration. Through the declaration, the two countries agreed to improve connectivity and infrastructure development, initiate cooperation in energy, mines and mineral sectors and significantly increase cultural, parliamentary, student, youths and people-to-people contacts.
According to details of the declaration, the two countries expressed satisfaction over the establishment of the two-tier joint commission mechanism for facilitating and promoting reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.

[khushal]

You dumb i am against ISI as much as i am against the Indian Raw. I didn't say India is involved in every act of terrorism in Pakistan but evidence shows that India has a vital role in terrorism activities in Pakistan.
But ISI these days cant even open its mouth against India because it has become so weak and after mumbai attacks ISI mouth has been shut by the Indians.

Where is this evidence, in your pocket?
Isnt the guy in your avatar ISI .