-
Advertisement
Asia

Car bomb hits US vehicle in Peshawar, kills 2

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Pakistani policemen collect evidence at the bomb blast site in Peshawar. Photo: AFP

A car filled with explosives rammed into a US government vehicle in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, killing two people and wounding 19 others, police said.

The identities of those killed in the attack were unclear, said local police officer Pervez Khan. Some of the wounded were foreigners, he said.

A US passport was found in the wreckage, said another police officer, Javed Khan.

Advertisement

The US Embassy in Islamabad said it was investigating the report.

Peshawar is located near Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the country. The city has been hit by scores of bombings in recent years, but attacks against American targets are relatively rare, likely because of the extensive security measures taken by the US government.

Advertisement

The vehicle was attacked after it left the US Consulate in Peshawar and was travelling through an area of the city that hosts various international organisations, including the United Nations, said Pervez Khan, who was part of the police escort providing security for the vehicle as it moved.

Local TV footage showed an SUV at the site that was completely destroyed and burned. All that was left was a carcass of blackened, twisted metal. Pervez Khan said the images were of the US vehicle that was attacked.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x