By Xinhua,
Islamabad : The Taliban insurgents in Pakistan claimed responsibility for the bomb blast targeting an air force bus that killed over a dozen of people in northwestern city of Peshawar Tuesday.
Maulvi Omer, spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Alban Movement, said the blast was the response to the military operation in northwestern region, the Geo TV reported.
The TTP spokesman also threatened to launch more attacks against the army if the military operation in the region was not stopped.
According to Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed Khan, the blast occurred when a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bus was heading to a base near Peshawar, capital city of North West Frontier Province ( NWFP).
At least 13 people, mostly security personnel, were killed and about two dozens injured in the blast.
Pakistan’s security forces are currently engaged in military operations against Taliban militants in the NWFP’s Swat Valley and Bajaur tribal agency.
According to reports, the government troops Tuesday killed 10 more militants in its week-long operation in northwestern tribal region, taking the death toll to more than 170.
On Monday, PAF fighter jets and gunship helicopters pounded several militants’ positions in Bajaur tribal district, killing at least 50 rebels.
Taliban rebels had vowed to take revenge for the military action in the district, where clashes erupted last week when hundreds of militants surrounded a paramilitary base in Loi Sam area.