Suicide bomber kills 11 outside Peshawar courthouse

A suicide bomber detonated his vest outside a courthouse in Peshawar, killing 11 in the latest attack in the northwestern city.

The bomber detonated his vest at the gates of a courthouse in the capital of the Northwest Frontier Province after security prevented him from entering the compound. Two policemen and three lawyers were among the 11 killed. The attack also wounded 47 people, two of them critically.

The Taliban conducted a similar suicide attack outside a court complex in Peshawar on Nov. 19. The suicide bomber killed 19 people and wounded scores more after detonating outside the provincial court complex.

Today’s attack is the latest in the Taliban’s terror campaign in Pakistan. The Taliban launched the offensive on Oct. 5 and have demanded that the military end operations in the tribal areas. The military went on the offensive in South Waziristan on Oct. 17, and recently claimed that the Taliban’s defeat there struck a strategic blow to the organization. But the Taliban have regrouped in the tribal areas and continued the attacks.

The Taliban have launched suicide attacks in Pakistan’s major cities, including the capital of Islamabad, the military garrison city of Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar.

Taliban suicide assault teams have also targeted military installations in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar. The Army General Headquarters was shut down for a day during an assault, while police and intelligence services centers in Lahore and Peshawar were also targeted.

The latest such attack, on Dec. 6, targeted a mosque attended by military officers in Rawalpindi. Two generals and four other officers were among the 40 Pakistanis killed. The sons and fathers of senior officers were also killed in the attack.

The Taliban have also conducted a campaign against tribal leaders who have organized militias to oppose the spread of the Islamist terrorists. Dozens of tribal leaders have been killed in suicide attacks, roadside bombings, and shootings. In the past week alone, seven anti-Taliban tribal leaders have been reported killed.

Major Taliban attacks in Pakistan since Oct. 5:

Dec. 7, 2009: Two suicide bombers detonated their vests near-simultaneously about 100 feet apart in the middle of the Moon Market, a commercial hub in the eastern city of Lahore. More than 45 people were killed.

Dec. 7, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 11 Pakistanis outside a Peshawar courthouse.

Dec. 6, 2009: The Taliban killed two tribal leaders in an IED attack in the Mamond region in the Bajaur tribal agency.

Dec. 4, 2009: A suicide assault team killed 40 Pakistani worshippers in a mosque in the military garrison city of Rawalpindi. Two senior generals were killed in the attack.

Dec. 2, 2009: A suicide bomber killed a naval security guard at the guardpost outside the naval headquarters in the capital of Islamabad.

Dec. 2, 2009: The Taliban assassinated three pro-government tribal leaders in Arakzai and another in Swabi.

Dec. 1, 2009: A suicide bomber killed a member of a secular Pashtun political party who served in the provincial assembly outside his home in Swat.

Nov. 19, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 19 people in an attack outside of the provincial judicial complex in Peshawar.

Nov. 16, 2009: A suicide bomber killed four people in an attack on a police station in Peshawar.

Nov. 15, 2009: The Taliban killed a tribal leader in Bajaur and targeted a mayor in Peshawar.

Nov. 13, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 10 people in an attack on a police checkpoint in Peshawar.

Nov. 13, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 10 people in an attack on the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency in Peshawar.

Nov. 13, 2009: A suicide bomber wounded 10 people in an attack on a police station in Bannu.

Nov. 10, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 24 people in a market in Charsadda.

Nov. 9, 2009: A suicide bomber killed four people during an attack at a police checkpoint outside Peshawar.

Nov. 8, 2009: A suicide bomber killed an anti-Taliban leader and 12 others in an attack at a market in the town of Matni near Peshawar.

Nov. 5, 2009: An Army brigadier and a soldier were wounded in an ambush in Islamabad.

Nov. 2, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed 34 Pakistanis and wounded scores more in an attack in Rawalpindi.

Nov. 2, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers killed one policeman and wounded 25 security officers and civilians after the pair detonated their vests at a security checkpoint.

Oct. 28, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed 119 Pakistanis and wounded hundreds more in an attack on a bazaar in Peshawar.

Oct. 27, 2009: A brigadier general who served as the director of defense services guards at the Army General Headquarters escaped an assassination attempt in Islamabad.

Oct. 23, 2009: The Taliban detonated an anti-tank mine and hit a bus transporting a wedding party in Mohmand. The explosion killed 15 of the passengers and wounded six more.

Oct. 23, 2009: The Taliban detonated a car bomb outside a popular restaurant in the residential Hayatabad area in Peshawar. The attack wounded 13 civilians; nine are said to be in critical condition.

Oct. 23, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people during an attack at a security checkpoint near the Kamra Air Weapon Complex in the district of Attock in Punjab province.

Oct. 21, 2009: The Taliban assassinated a brigadier general and his driver during an ambush in Islamabad.

Oct. 20, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers detonated their vests at Islamabad’s International Islamic University, killing five.

Oct. 16, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers, including a female, attacked a police station and a building housing an intelligence service in Peshawar, killing 11.

Oct. 15, 2009: Terrorist assault teams attacked the Federal Investigation Agency building, the Manawan police training center, and the Elite Force Headquarters in Lahore. Twenty-six people, including nine terrorists and 12 policemen, were killed.

Oct. 15, 2009: A suicide bomber rammed a car into a police station in Kohat, killing 11 people, including policemen and children.

Oct. 12, 2009: A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives as a military convoy passed through a checkpoint in a market in Alpuri in Shangla. The attack killed 41 people, including six security personnel.

Oct. 10, 2009: An assault team attacked the Army General Headquarters and took 42 security personnel captive. Eleven soldiers were killed, including a brigadier general and a lieutenant colonel, along with nine members of the assault team; and 39 hostages were freed.

Oct. 9, 2009: A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives in a bazaar in Peshawar, killing 49 civilians.

Oct. 5, 2009: A suicide bomber entered the World Food Program office in Islamabad and detonated his vest, killing five UN workers, including an Iraqi.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Tags: Pakistan