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Terror wave continues, army targeted again

Suicide bomber kills 41 in Shangla

* ‘14-year-old bomber’ targets military convoy
* Six soldiers among those killed
* At least 45 injured, 6 in critical condition

By Ghulam Farooq

MINGORA: At least 41 people – including six soldiers – were killed on Monday in an apparent suicide attack on a military convoy in Alpuri area of Shangla district, NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain and a military official said.

Shangla district borders Swat, where the military gained control of most of the areas from the Taliban.

The bomber – believed to be 14 years old and on foot – targeted the convoy while it was passing through the busy Alpuri bazaar, said witnesses. The AP news agency, however, reported that the bomber detonated a car packed with explosives near the convoy.

Six soldiers: The NWFP information minister told journalists in Peshawar that 41 people, including six soldiers, had died in the suicide attack. A total of 45 people were injured in the attack. Six of those injured are in critical condition.

A military spokesman said that 12 shops and seven vehicles were destroyed when the young bomber detonated explosives.

“Some vehicles loaded with ammunition were also part of the convoy... they caught fire after the explosion,” said the spokesman.

A local resident, Muhammad Noor, said a column of thick smoke and dust rose into the air immediately after the blast, and he saw bodies scattered around.

The president and the prime minister have condemned the attack.

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