A GUN battle erupted in a crowded Peshawar bazaar yesterday following two bomb blasts that killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens in the Pakistani city.
Suspected Taliban militants on rooftops opened fire on police officers responding to the explosions in Kissa Khwani, a historic market in the old city.
Two militants were killed and two arrested during the battle, which lasted an hour, the city’s police chief said. The attacks came a day after a similar, but larger, assault in Lahore where gunmen opened fire indiscriminately before exploding a huge bomb that killed at least 24 people.
Live coverage on local TV showed officers opening fire down alleyways as traders and shoppers cowered. Images showed a wounded man limping from a shop and police giving thumbs-up signs from a rooftop after shooting two militants dead.
Interior minister Rehman Malik told Dawn News intelligence reports indicated further attacks may be pending and police were on high alert. – (Guardian service)