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Nine killed as DIK, Peshawar bombed

* Security forces kill 2 Taliban, arrest another two in ensuing gunbattle in Peshawar
* President, PM, US condemn attacks

By Manzoor Ali Shah

PESHAWAR: Two bomb blasts killed at least six people and injured 100 in the historic Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar on Thursday as a suicide bomber – according to various news agencies – rammed his explosives-laden vehicle in a security checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan, killing three and injuring 13.

Gunbattle: Security forces killed at least two Taliban and arrested an equal number in a gunbattle that followed the blasts in the Peshawar bazaar. The gunbattle in narrow alleys of the city continued for several minutes, with citizens witnessing the horrifying scenes unfold in the heart of the provincial capital.

Witnesses said the gunbattle began when Taliban holed up in a hotel started firing at the public and police retaliated.

Provincial Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain told Daily Times that six people were killed in the two Peshawar blasts and around 100 wounded. But police sources said that at least four people were killed in the two blasts and 72 injured – five of whom were in critical condition, while AFP reported that eight people had been killed and 10 of the wounded were in critical condition.

Witnesses told Daily Times that a blast ripped through Kabari Bazaar at around 5:50pm, followed by another blast just a few steps away in Qissa Khawani Bazaar.

The bombs had been fitted to two motorbikes parked in the bazaars. A bomb disposal squad official said both devices weighed around 4 kilogrammes; but it was not clear if they were timed devices or remote-controlled ones.

Meanwhile in Dera Ismail Khan, AFP reported that a policeman and two passers-by were killed and 13 people wounded when a suicide attacker exploded an auto-rickshaw near a police checkpoint.

Condemnation: The president and the prime minister have condemned the bomb blasts in Peshawar. The US has also censured the bombings in Peshawar.

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