“The bomb went off as morning shoppers were buying supplies at the market, located on the outskirts of Islamabad.” The jihadists apparently timed the bombing so as to maximize the carnage. After all, as they repeatedly avow, they love death.
“Bomb Blast in Pakistani Capital Kills 21,” by Asif Shahzad for the Associated Press, April 9 (thanks to Twostellas):
A bomb ripped through a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Wednesday morning, killing at least 21 people and leaving dozens more wounded, officials said.
The massive blast was the latest attack to shake Pakistan even as government negotiations with the Taliban pick up pace in an attempt by the authorities to resolve years of deadly fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people in the northwest.
The bomb went off as morning shoppers were buying supplies at the market, located on the outskirts of Islamabad. The power of the blast sent cartons of fruit and vegetables flying. Police quickly cordoned off the scene, which was littered with guavas, shoes, and prayer caps. Blood stained the ground in many areas.
“I saw body parts flying in the air,” said one of the fruit traders, Afzal Khan. “People were dying. People were crying. People were running.”…
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the Pakistani Taliban in a statement emailed to reporters denied they were behind the attack. The militant group said it was sticking to a previously agreed-to ceasefire….
The symbolism of having such a deadly attack in Islamabad — even in an area on the edge of the city and rarely frequented by its elite — is a blow to a Pakistani government trying to increase foreign investment and project an air of security in the capital.For Islamabad, it was the most deadly day since a March 3 attack on a court complex killed 11 people. That attack was claimed by a little-known splinter group called Ahrar-ul-Hind.
Attacks like Wednesday’s have continued even as the negotiations between the government and the Taliban have picked up pace, leading to questions about whether the militant group is in full control of various factions that could be behind the attacks.
Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, said it was difficult to say which group was behind the explosion until police complete their investigation.
Asked what the intended target was, he said: “I think peace in Pakistan is the target.”…
Critics also point out that the Tehrik-e-Taliban, as the Pakistani Taliban are formally called, is made up of numerous factions and even if the umbrella organization agrees to a peace deal, it doesn’t mean all the factions will.
Just as in Israel.