Suicide bomber targets militant religious group in Pakistan

Peshawar: A suicide attacker struck at the headquarters of a Taliban-style religious group on Thursday, killing only himself but wounding 30 others, officials said.

It was the first suicide bombing in Pakistan since the new government took office a month ago and embarked on peace talks aimed at curbing the power of Taliban and Al Qaida militants along the Afghan border.

Thursday's attack appeared, however, to be the result of a long-standing turf war between local militant religious groups rather than an attempt to destabilise the fledgling peace process.

The attacker blew himself up at the main office of an organization called Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a government official told The Associated Press.

The blast occurred in Bara, a troubled town in the Khyber
tribal region about 15 kilometres from Peshawar.

The official said some among the 30 injured were in critical condition.

The targeted group is led by a fundamentalist Islamic cleric associated with a local militant leader who has been involved in recent heavy fighting with rivals.