Mingora (Pakistan): At least 17 police recruits were killed and over 40 others seriously injured on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack at a police training centre in northwest Pakistan, the Online news agency reported.
The incident took place in Mingora city, the capital of Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The security forces have meanwhile started a search operation to nab the associates of the suicide bomber. A massive fire broke out at the site after the blast.
About 60 police recruits were taking part in a training when the suicide bomber forced his way into the facility and blew himself up, the report said citing unnamed sources.
At least 17 police recruits were killed and more than 40 others seriously injured in the blast, it said. The injured were rushed to hospitals.
This was the third attack on the facility in the recent past.
The shops in the city were closed after the authorities clamped a curfew.
NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain earlier told reporters that 12 policemen were killed in the attack. He said the suicide bomber climbed the compound wall to enter the facility.
He added that although the security forces have dismantled the terrorists' bases in the country, the rebels still have the capacity to launch attacks on government facilities.
He said the war against terrorism will continue till the militants are eliminated from the country.
Meanwhile President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the bombing and ordered an investigation into the incident. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif also condemned the attack.
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