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ISLAMABAD: The use of a woman suicide bomber by the Taliban to target a UN aid centre in Pakistan's restive tribal belt represents a fresh challenge as security forces will have to find ingenious ways to avert more such attacks, experts said on Sunday.
In the first attack of its kind, the burqa-clad woman bomber lobbed grenades and detonated an explosive vest after being stopped at a checkpoint near a World Food Programme centre distributing aid to displaced people in Bajaur tribal region on Saturday.
The bombing killed 46 people and injured over 80. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Azam Tariq telling the media that the group has a large number of women suicide bombers who would be used in attacks.
Officials said an examination of remains confirmed the bomber was a woman.
Several witnesses said they had heard the woman scream before the explosion and one claimed her last words were: "Ya Allah khair."
Security experts contended that yesterday's attack represented a new challenge for security forces in the lawless tribal belt as it is not possible for troops to search women due to the tribal culture and sensitivities.
"The attack does pose serious problems for security forces, who will have to find ingenious ways to avert such bombings. They will also have to improve intelligence and gadgetry," Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood, one of Pakistan's leading security analysts, told PTI.
Brig (retired) Mahmood Shah, a defence analyst specialising in the tribal belt, told the media: "If females are used in suicide attacks then it can be more dangerous."
"The problems in Pakistan's tribal belt had been compounded by the failure of Afghan security forces to stop the cross-border movement of terrorists," Masood said.
"The terrorists are getting support from Afghanistan and they keep crossing back and forth," he said.
Over 250 suicide attacks have been carried out in Pakistan since 2006 but yesterday's assault was the first one by a woman bombe
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In the first attack of its kind, the burqa-clad woman bomber lobbed grenades and detonated an explosive vest after being stopped at a checkpoint near a World Food Programme centre distributing aid to displaced people in Bajaur tribal region on Saturday.
The bombing killed 46 people and injured over 80. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Azam Tariq telling the media that the group has a large number of women suicide bombers who would be used in attacks.
Officials said an examination of remains confirmed the bomber was a woman.
Several witnesses said they had heard the woman scream before the explosion and one claimed her last words were: "Ya Allah khair."
Security experts contended that yesterday's attack represented a new challenge for security forces in the lawless tribal belt as it is not possible for troops to search women due to the tribal culture and sensitivities.
"The attack does pose serious problems for security forces, who will have to find ingenious ways to avert such bombings. They will also have to improve intelligence and gadgetry," Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood, one of Pakistan's leading security analysts, told PTI.
Brig (retired) Mahmood Shah, a defence analyst specialising in the tribal belt, told the media: "If females are used in suicide attacks then it can be more dangerous."
"The problems in Pakistan's tribal belt had been compounded by the failure of Afghan security forces to stop the cross-border movement of terrorists," Masood said.
"The terrorists are getting support from Afghanistan and they keep crossing back and forth," he said.
Over 250 suicide attacks have been carried out in Pakistan since 2006 but yesterday's assault was the first one by a woman bombe
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