Islamabad ( AsiaNews) - A suicide bomber blew himself up this morning in a car full of explosives inside the headquarters of a tribal military commander in the Pakistani territory of Orakzai Agency. The blast killed at least 15 people. It is not clear who organized the attack , according to some sources it is the Taliban group Tehrek - e-Taliban ( TTP ), who reportedly sent a message to the international media to claim the gesture.
The bombers' main target was the commander Nabi Hanfi , who, with the support of the central government, is waging a tough offensive against Islamic extremists in the north- west of the country. Wajid Khan , a local official , confirmed that the guerrilla leader is safe : "He was not in the area at the time of the explosion".
The area is not far from Peshawar , theater of violent attacks against the Christian community in recent weeks. Some Islamic militants killed two Pakistani soldiers yesterday who were traveling in the south- west of the country to bring basic necessities to the victims of last week's earthquake that killed at least 515 people. In another attack , which occurred on the border with Afghanistan , 6 people were killed.
The increase in violence in the country is linked to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the resumption of fighting for the independence of Balochistan . According to Islamabad authorities in fact, the Taliban and the tribal groups are fighting each other for supremacy of the various parts of Pakistan , and sometimes team up to attack the national army .
The bishop of the Indian diocese of Pune , in an interview with AsiaNews , said that in the violence "is the failure of the Pakistani authorities to protect the country's vulnerable Christian community . The integrity and moral authority of a nation depends on its firm commitment in ensuring the rule of law and defending its minorities".
