Suicide Attack in Northwest Pakistan

Via Times of India -

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber killed 17 people in northwest Pakistan as police tried to arrest him on Tuesday, the latest attack in a wave of violence that is piling pressure on President Pervez Musharraf.

The attacker blew himself up inside a minibus in Dera Ismail Khan, a remote town close to Pakistan's troubled tribal areas -- the region where the United States alleges that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have been regrouping since 9/11.

Pakistan has suffered a string of bombings since security forces raided the Al-Qaeda linked Red Mosque in Islamabad in July, adding to the woes facing Musharraf, a key US ally, as he clings to power ahead of upcoming elections.

"It was a suicide attack. Police started chasing him because he was acting suspiciously and he jumped into a minibus before blowing himself up," police chief Mohammad Khaliq said.

"The policemen following him said he looked to be about 15 or 16 years old," he added.