Islamabad - A suicide car bomb exploded near a police station on the outskirts of Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar Monday morning, killing at least three people, police said. Police officer Shajehan Khan said around 20 people were also wounded when the suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car in the Badaber area, located 10 kilometers south of city centre.
The bombing was the latest in series of terrorist attacks in Peshawar in recent weeks since the army launched an offensive against Taliban militants in their stronghold of South Waziristan near the Afghan border.
Peshawar's top civil administrator Sahibzada Anis told reporters that several buildings partially collapsed in the huge explosion which took place at 7:45am (0245 GMT).
The blast damaged the police station building, a mosque and several shops. Authorities feared that people might be trapped in the rubble.
Anis said the suicide bomber entered the Badaber suburbs from the adjoining Khyber tribal district.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban militants have stepped up their bombing campaign in the country's urban areas to retaliate the Waziristan assault.
Troops are battling to eliminate insurgent bastions in the rugged region, which has become the main sanctuary for the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.
The army says it has so far killed 542 militants in the month-long onslaught, while losing 63 soldiers. The figures cannot be confirmed independently as the region is closed to journalists.
