21 killed in Pakistan Taliban bomb blast

Pakistani officials said on Tuesday that at least 21 people had been killed and dozens wounded when a Taliban suicide bomber on a motorbike crashed into the main gate of a government office in the northwest Pakistan town of Mardan.

The blast highlights the Pakistani Taliban's continued ability to carry out attacks despite a major military offensive against its headquarters that analysts say has reduced the group's capacity. 

"It was a suicide bomber on a motorbike," said Faisal Shahzad, district police chief, adding that 63 had been injured.

The explosion ripped through the front entrance of a regional branch of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which is responsible for issuing ID cards.


Television footage showed the collapsed front wall of the building and twisted metal debris strewn on the road. Pakistan has been battling an Islamist insurgency since 2004 after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan caused militants to flee across the border where they began to foment unrest.

More than 27 000 civilians and security personnel have died in attacks since that time, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a monitoring site.