Islamabad: Several people were today feared killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the office of an Islamic group in Pakistan's restive Khyber Agency, officials said.
The suicide bomber targeted the office of the "Amar bil maroof wa nahee aanelmunkar" (promotion of virtue and prevention of vice force), the religious police of a group led by Haji Namdar at Bara, the main town of the northwestern Khyber Agency.
There were conflicting reports on the casualties with Geo News channel reporting that up to 10 people were killed in the attack while Dawn News channel saying that only two persons were killed and 10 injured.
A spokesman for Haji Namdar said the head of the suicide bomber had been found.
Official sources said Haji Namdar was the actual target of the attack though he escaped unhurt. He is a rival of Mangal Bagh Afridi, another radical leader who heads the Lashkar-e-Islam group.
The sources said they feared the death toll could rise as several of the injured were in a critical condition.
The seriously injured were rushed to hospitals in Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province.
This was the first suicide attack in Pakistan in more than a month. The country witnessed nearly 70 devastating suicide bombings last year, including the attack that killed former premier Benazir Bhutto in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
