New Delhi: Three weeks ago they brazenly targeted army headquarters in Rawalpindi, and on Monday, they returned to the garrison town.
A suicide bomber on a motorbike set himself off, killing 36, near the National Bank as serving and retired army personnel were entering to draw salaries and pensions.
The attack coincided with a Pakistani government advertisement setting bounties of five million dollars for information leading to the capture or death of Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and 18 of his key lieutenants.
The advertisement read:
The activities of these brutal people, who have no fear of God, are bringing a bad name to the Mehsud tribe and to Pakistan. They are killers of humanity. Help the government of Pakistan to annihilate them.
The announcement came as the army claimed to have closed in on two Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan – Makeen and Sararogha. The government says the offensive has been successful so far with the militants on the run.
Meanwhile, the offensive has caused a flood of more than two lakh refugees out of the region.
The UN has packed up its operations in the tribal lands, leaving only skeleton staff to cope with emergency work. Officials confirmed they could no longer guarantee security for their personnel.
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