Just in case the 12 snapshots I shared on Nov 4 have been completely forgotten already….

Deadly Suicide Attack In Pakistan Kills 12 (The BBC; Nov 8)

At least 12 people have been killed and about 35 injured in a suicide bomb attack near the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, police say.

The blast ripped through a busy cattle market on the outskirts of the city.

The Taliban said they carried out the latest attack.

It appeared to target the mayor of Adizai, Abdul Malik, who was a vocal opponent of the militants. His home village is close to tribal areas where militants are active.

He was seriously injured and later died in hospital.

Police officials told the BBC that Mr Malik was on his way to the city when he stopped at the market.

According to the officials, the bomber had been following Mr Malik in a van.

When Mr Malik left the vehicle the man rushed in and blew himself up.

The BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the blast was so powerful all those nearby were killed, while several cars were also destroyed….

Deadly Blasts Hits Pakistani Town; 24 Killed (The BBC; Nov 10)

At least 24 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a car bombing in the north-western Pakistani town of Charsadda, police say.

The blast occurred as shoppers thronged the main market in Charsadda, which lies north-east of Peshawar.

The attack is the third in as many days in North West Frontier Province….

Police say around 40kg of explosives had been placed in a car which then exploded outside a busy market….

The BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says ordinary citizens are increasingly being targeted in bomb attacks. Analysts believe this is because the militants are cornered and under great pressure by the military in South Waziristan.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion was so powerful that surrounding buildings were severely damaged.

Ambulances ferried survivors to hospitals in Charsadda and Peshawar, 40km (25 miles) away.

Eyewitnesses said the vehicle blew up on a road lined with fruit and juice shops, tearing off shop roofs and leaving the ground strewn with slippers, body parts and broken push carts.

“It was a terrible scene. There were injured and wounded everywhere,” one witness told reporters….

Suicide Bombers Hit Pakistan’s Spy Agency, Police Station; 17 Dead (The BBC; Nov 13)

A suicide car bomb attack on Pakistan’s main intelligence agency in the city of Peshawar has killed at least 12 people and injured 40, officials say.

Another five people died in a separate suicide car bomb attack at a police station in the Baka Khel area in the North West Frontier Province.

The Peshawar blast destroyed the three-storey building of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

The city has been frequently targeted by militants in recent weeks.

More than 100 people were killed in a blast at a market in Peshawar two weeks ago.

Attacks across Pakistan have dramatically increased as the army continues its offensive against the Taliban in the South Waziristan region.

“The bomber was asked to stop at a checkpoint next to the ISI offices here at 6.45 am,” a military official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity.

“As he tried to use the car to force his way through, the guards outside opened fire on him.

“He then detonated the explosives.”

Military authorities told the BBC say that over 60 people were injured in the attack. The said that the dead included seven military officials and three civilians.

The BBC’s Abdul Hai Kakar in Peshawar says the explosion was so powerful it was heard by people within a 1km radius. Some thought it was an earthquake….

Suicide Bomber Targets Pak Police; 10 Dead (The BBC; Nov 14)

A suicide car bomber has attacked a police checkpoint in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 10 people, officials say.

More than 25 other people were injured in the attack.

Police say the attacker blew up his explosives-laden car as policemen went to search it in the Pushta Khara area….

20 Killed In Taliban Suicide Attack Outside Pak Court (Emal Khan/The Telegraph; Nov 19)

At least 20 people were killed and 45 injured in a suspected Taliban suicide bombing at a court in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

According to witnesses the bomber stepped out of a taxi and walked towards a crowd of prople waiting at the entrance to a court building. He detonated his suicide vest as he was being frisked by a police inspector.

Nisar Khan, the city’s police superintendent, said three police officers were among the local people, rickshaw drivers and lawyers killed in the attack – the 11th on the city since the beginning of October….

Islamists Take Credit For Russian Train Bomb That Killed 26 (The BBC; Dec 2)

A North Caucasus Islamist group has claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed 26 people on a Moscow-to-St Petersburg train, a website says.

The website claim on Kavkazcenter.com said last Friday’s attack was carried out by the “Caucasian Mujahadeen” on the orders of its leader, Doku Umarov.

He is described as one of Russia’s most wanted rebels….

Moscow had earlier described the Nevsky Express attack as an act of terrorism.

Doku Umarov, a Chechen, is considered the leader of the Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus. He says he is fighting to expel Russian forces, and to turn the region into an Islamic emirate.

Wednesday’s web statement said Friday’s attack was an “act of sabotage”, and part of a series of operations targeting strategic sites in Russia….

Kavkazcenter.com has carried statements before by North Caucasus groups claiming responsibility for attacks on Russia that have turned out to be correct….

Nearly 100 others were wounded after what police called an “improvised explosive device” derailed the train’s last three carriages near the town of Bologoye, some 400km (250 miles) north-west of Moscow.

A second, less powerful device which went off on Saturday near the site of the first – reportedly triggered by a remote mobile – is said to have injured one of the investigators combing the train’s wreckage….

Suicide Attack On Pak Mosque Kills 35 (The BBC; Dec 4)

Militants are said to have killed at least 35 people, including 17 children, at a mosque near the Pakistani army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi.

At least four attackers opened fire on worshippers during Friday prayers attended by many military staff in the garrison city.

Security forces fought back in an hour-long gun battle before three attackers blew themselves up, reports say.

The Pakistan Taliban later said they had carried out the strike.

Ten adult civilians were also among the dead, as well as military staff, the army said….

One witness told Pakistan’s Dawn TV: “They attacked the mosque from the side … the windows. They took the people, got hold of their hair, shot them.”

The attackers reportedly started hurling grenades around and firing indiscriminately, before two were killed in the battle with security forces and two blew themselves up.

Military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the latest attack had been co-ordinated. It ended once the military had made sure all the gunmen were dead, AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said explosions from at least one suicide bomber caused the roof of the building to collapse….

Market Bombs Kill Dozens (The BBC; Dec 8)

The death toll in two bomb blasts at a busy market in the centre of Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, has risen to 48, police and medics say.

The attack, which injured over 100 people, sparked a huge blaze at the city’s Moon Market at 2045 (1545 GMT).

The toll has risen with the death of 12 more people overnight, police said.

The blasts came just hours after a suicide bomber on a rickshaw killed at least 10 people in Peshawar when he blew himself up near the courthouse.

One official said the blasts in Lahore happened in quick succession and that dozens were injured when the blast struck the market, crammed with shoppers and traders….

Many of the victims were women and children, the police said….

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the bombs were apparently remote-controlled devices, AP reports….

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber detonated about 6kg (13lb) of explosives outside a courthouse in the north-western city of Peshawar.

The attack killed 10 people – including a policeman – and wounded 44 others….

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill More Than 125 (The BBC; Dec 8)

A series of car bombings has killed at least 127 people and wounded 448 in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

The first blast targeted a police patrol in the Dora district of the city. Four others occurred near official buildings within minutes.

Veteran politician Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, an ex-national security adviser, blamed al-Qaeda militants for the attacks….

Tuesday’s explosions shook houses across the capital.

After the attack in Dora, a bomb blew up in Shourja Market, near the health ministry.

Official buildings located near the other blasts also include the interior ministry, a university and the institute of fine arts.

There were civilian and security force personnel casualties, officials said.

Survivor Ahmed Jabbar, emerging from a damaged ministry building, told the Associated Press news agency: “What crime have we committed? Children and women were buried under debris.”

Rescue workers at the scene have been climbing through twisted steel bars and crushed concrete, and dozens of vehicles were burned, AP reported….

In October… co-ordinated bomb attacks killed at least 155 people and wounded hundreds in Baghdad….

At least eight people – mostly children – died in a school bombing in Baghdad on Monday….

Suicide Bomber Kills 8 In Kabul (The BBC; Dec 15)

At least eight people have been killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, officials say.

The blast happened near a hotel in Wazir Akbar Khan district, home to several aid agencies and embassies.

Two bodyguards of former vice-president Ahmad Zia Massoud were among the dead, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said….

Kabul has been hit by a number of explosions in recent months….

Blast Near Pak Mosque Kills 7 (The BBC; Dec 18)

At least seven people have been killed in an explosion near a mosque used by police officers in north-western Pakistan, officials say.

Nearly 30 people were wounded in the explosion in Lower Dir district, said hospital officials….

The local district commissioner, Fazal Kareem Khatok, said the blast took place as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers.

Afghan Suicide Bomber Kills 8 (The BBC; Dec 24)

A suicide bomber in a horse-drawn cart has killed eight people in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, police say.

Police officers apparently tried to stop the bomber but he was able to detonate his explosives near a hotel and local government office.

Five of the dead were in a nearby car, with three pedestrians also killed. The cart was destroyed, leading police to initially think the bomb was inside it….

Iraq Bomb Explosions Leave 23 Dead (The BBC; Dec 24)

A series of bomb attacks has killed at least 23 people in Iraq.

The latest attacks, which appeared to target Shia Muslims, saw eight people killed in predominately Shia areas of the capital Baghdad.

Earlier, a twin bomb blast in Hilla, 100km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, killed at least 15 people.

Shia pilgrims are celebrating the festival of Ashura, and security has been increased around the country to prevent attacks by Sunni militants.

One of the most important dates in the Shia religious calendar, Ashura is a 40-day mourning period to commemorate the martyrdom in 680 AD of the revered Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. [To learn more about this bizarrely bloody holiday, see Theist Files #3432 and #1612.]

Five people were killed at a Shia funeral in Baghdad when a bomb went off in a tent where mourners were gathered in the suburb of Sadr City, police and hospital officials told the Associated Press.

Three died in a second blast in the eastern district of Zaafaraniya.

Scores wounded

The day’s first blast, in a bus and taxi station in Hilla, reportedly went off as a bomb disposal experts were trying to defuse a roadside bomb….

A local leader was among the dead and scores of others were wounded, Reuters news agency reported….

Kashmir Suicide Bomber Kills 10 (Farhan Bokhari/Financial Times/Reuters; Dec 27)

At least 10 people were killed and 25 injured on Sunday in the capital city of Pakistani controlled Kashmir, as the country remained on high alert for a high-profile religious festival.

A lone suicide bomber involved in the attack blew himself near where members of Pakistan’s minority Shia Muslims had gathered to commemorate the killing of Imam Hussain, grandson of Mohammed the prophet, in Karbala, southern Iraq, almost 1400 years ago….

In the past 30 years, Pakistan has seen scores of attacks by hardline Sunni Muslims, targeting members of the Shia minority.

A blast also occurred at the end of a similar procession in Pakistan’s commercial capital, Karachi, injuring 15 people according to police.

Separately, Pakistani militants blew up a government official’s house in the Kurram region on the Afghan border , killing him and five other people, local government and security officials said. The blast did not appear related to the other sectarian attacks, officials said.

The wave of attacks coincided with the second anniversary of the death of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, who was killed in 2007 after she spoke at a political rally in Rawalpindi, a sprawling city just outside Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital….

Four Killed By Bomb At Shiite Procession In Iraq (MonstersAndCritics/DPA; Dec 27)

BAGHDAD: Four people were killed Sunday morning by a bomb blast targeting a Shiite procession in northern Iraq marking the Ashura day of mourning, police sources said.

The bomb went off in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, some 175 kilometres north of Baghdad. At least 18 people were injured in the blast.

There were also other, smaller explosions and shooting incidents in other areas of Iraq….

Pakistan Appeals For Calm As Blast Toll Hits 43 (MSNBC; Dec 29)

KARACHI – Authorities appealed for calm Tuesday after a bombing against a Shiite Muslim procession killed 43 in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, setting off riots and igniting fears of sectarian unrest.

Security was tight as thousands of people gathered in central Karachi for funerals of some of those killed in Monday’s bombing of a Shiite procession marking the key holy day of Ashoura.

The attack sparked riots as people rampaged through the city, setting fire to markets and stores, including the port city’s largest wholesale market. More than 200 firefighters were still battling the flames 24 hours after the attack, with authorities calling for reinforcements from the city of Hyderabad, 105 miles north of Karachi, Pakistan’s main commercial hub….

Two buildings with dozens of shops and offices have already collapsed and two more were in danger of falling, said the Karachi fire chief, Ehteshamul Haq….

Bomb disposal squad official Munir Sheikh said some 35 pounds of high explosive were used in the bombing. He said the intact head and torso of the suspected suicide bomber was found on the third floor of a nearby office building, where it had crashed through a window.

Residents in apartments near the blast site tossed down body parts that had been cast into their homes from the explosion, while birds dove down to pick at the flesh amid damaged vehicles and motorbikes.

Senior health official Hashim Raza said the death toll increased to 43 on Tuesday. Many among the dozens wounded were critically hurt, and several died overnight and on Tuesday morning….

Pakistani authorities say sectarian groups have teamed up with Taliban and al-Qaida militants waging war against the government in a joint effort to destabilize Pakistan. More than 500 people have been killed in attacks since mid-October when the army launched a major anti-Taliban offensive in the country’s northwest….

Karachi Mayor Mustafa Kamal said that hundreds of shops had been destroyed, with damages estimated to run into millions of dollars….