Suicide bomber in school uniform kills 31 Pakistan troops

A teenage suicide bomber wearing a school uniform attacked an army training camp in north-west Pakistan today, killing 31 troops.

Body parts at the scene in Mardan town showed the bomber was a teenage boy, which is common in suicide bombings in Pakistan, said senior police official Abdullah Khan.

But Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said the bomber was a soldier in Mardan who approached them and said "he wanted to sacrifice his life for Islam". "We accepted his offer and told him to target his fellow soldiers in Mardan," he said.

Troops quickly cordoned off the camp, which is home to the Punjab Regiment, one of Pakistan's most famous.

The bombing, which also wounded 40 soldiers, was one of the worst attacks on security forces in recent months. The same camp was attacked by a suicide bomber in 2006 who killed 35 soldiers.

The army has staged multiple offensives in Pakistan's north-west in recent years aimed at wiping out the Pakistani Taliban. Its efforts against the group, which is linked to the Afghan Taliban, appear to have been largely successful - but it maintains the ability to strike back.
Pakistani troops have found camps in the north-west where children as young as 10 or 12 were being trained to become suicide attackers.

Washington backs Pakistan in its battle against militants, especially those who focus on fighting the US and Nato in Afghanistan but who have bases in Pakistani, particularly in the North Waziristan tribal region.

Today in North Waziristan, two tribal police officials and a villager were found shot dead on a roadside near the town of Mir Ali. A note attached to the bodies accused them of acting as spies who provided the US with intelligence that helped the US launch missile strikes against militants.