: At least six people were killed and 30 others injured when a bomb went off inside a vegetable market in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency on Saturday morning, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing local Urdu media.Dunya News reported that the blast happened at the time when dozens of people were busy shopping in the vegetable market located in Parachinar area of Kurram Agency, a semi-autonomous tribal region along Pakistan-Afghanistan border.Nature of the blast has not been officially confirmed yet, but some media reports said that the explosion was carried out by a remote controlled device.The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital where several of them are said to be in critical condition.Security forces cordoned off the area for investigations. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. -- Bernama</s></s>A bomb blast ripped through a vegetable market in Pakistan's northwestern region in a predominantly Shia area, killing at least 22 people and wounding about 90 others.

The explosion occurred on Saturday morning at the Eidgah Market in Parachinar city, the capital of Kurram Agency, where a large number of people had gathered to buy fresh produce.

Ashiq Hussain, who was lightly wounded, was being treated in Parachinar hospital. He said he was among the people buying fruit and vegetables loaded on a van when the explosion took place.

"There was a big bang and I saw a dark cloud of smoke and dust before passing out," he said.

Hussain said he saw bleeding bodies and severed limbs and heard cries when he came back to his senses. "I was just bleeding from my leg," he said. "Thank God I am alive."

Local official Kurram Ikramullah told Al Jazeera that as many as 87 people had been wounded, some in critical condition.

"The bomb seems to have been planted in vegetable crate," Ikramullah said. "There is a high possibility that the vegetables were brought from outside the agency."

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned armed group that has attacked minority Shia Muslims in the past, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"That was our combined work with Shahryar group of Mahsud Taliban," Ali Sufyan, a spokesman for the group, wrote in a text message to an Associated Press news agency reporter.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said Parachinar has witnessed tension between Sunni and Shia Muslims, who make up roughly 20 percent of Pakistan's population of 200 million.

"It must be remembered that Parachinar has been, over the past few years, the scene of heavy sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni Muslim," he said. "The explosion has caused heavy civilian casualties and the death toll is expected to rise."

The Pakistani military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement that some of the wounded would be airlifted to hospitals in Peshawar, capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

COAS directs for quick evacuation, best medical care to victims of Parachinar blast. Ts will fail in their attempt to regain lost relevance. pic.twitter.com/WCGhyk19Wr — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) January 21, 2017

Kurram has been the scene of increased attacks in recent years and the army has carried out a major operation against fighters in the region.

Pakistan has battled armed groups since 2004, a campaign that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians and security forces.

Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007 when the Pakistani Taliban was formed.

But remnants of armed groups are still able to carry out periodic bloody attacks.

"Terrorists largely eliminated by our security forces and the remaining will soon meet their fate if we all together rise against them," Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, the provincial governor, told local Geo television.







</s>Peshawar: At least 18 people were killed and 47 wounded when a bomb exploded in a market on Saturday in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, officials said.

The blast happened in a crowded vegetable market in Parachinar city, the capital of Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border where officials said the death toll was expected to rise.

Ikramullah Khan, a senior government official in Parachinar said that the blast was caused by an IED (improvised explosive device) which was hidden in a vegetable box.

Noorullah Khan, an official in Parachinar hospital, told AFP that 11 bodies and more than 40 injured had been taken to the hospital.

Pakistan military said soldiers had reached the site and cordoned off the area.

"Army helicopters are evacuating the injured," it said in a short statement.

Kurram is one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal districts which are governed according to local laws and customs.

The district is known for sectarian clashes between Sunnis and Shiites, who make up roughly 20 percent of Pakistan's population of 200 million.</s>Peshawar: A powerful explosion ripped through a crowded vegetable market in minority Shias dominated Parachinar in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram tribal agency, killing at least 25 people and injuring 50 others.

The blast - claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban - occurred at the market inside Eidgah Bazaar in Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of the agency near the Afghan border.

Citing the political administration in Kurram agency, Geo TV said that at least 25 people were killed in the blast.

However, in a brief statement the military said that 20 people have been killed in the attack.

Initial report suggests that explosives kept in a vegetable crate exploded during auction of the vegetables, officials said.

The injured were shifted to Parachinar headquarters hospital where there is a shortage of doctors and medical facilities. At least 10 patients were said to be in critical condition.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the improvised explosive device (IED) blast took place at 08:50 AM in the vegetable market.

"Army and FC Quick Response officials have reached the blast site and cordoned off the area. Army helicopters have been flown in for medical evacuation of the injured," it said.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan condemned the attack and ordered a detailed report regarding the incident.

Muttahida Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, a Shia political organisation, announced three days of mourning over the blast.

According to officials, the death toll is expected to rise as the market was crowded due to early morning rush.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Umer Khurasani has claimed responsibility for the blast. He said the blast was to avenge the killing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Asif Chotu.

Asif, who was on Pakistan's most wanted terrorist list and carried a bounty of Rs 3,000,000 on his head, was killed along with three aides in an encounter near Lahore on Tuesday.

He was directly involved in killing over 100 citizens of Pakistan in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Indirectly, he was involved in killing of over 200 people.

LeJ was founded in 1996 as a militant offshoot of Sipah-i-Sahaba, a Sunni sectarian group that emerged in the mid-1980s. LeJ has claimed responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of civilians, mostly minority Shia Muslims.

Opposition Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the blast and said that "in order to defeat terrorism people will have to support the PPP."

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said that attack on unarmed civilians is not acceptable. "The terrorists should be tried and the victims be given justice," he said.

Parachinar has a sizeable Shia population and in the past the minority community was targeted through bombings.

In December 2015, a similar blast at the Eidgah Market killed 25 people and injured 70 others.

Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border. It has witnessed scores of attacks.</s>The death toll from a bomb attack on a market on Saturday in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt rose to 20, a military official said. Pakistani security officials and local residents gather at the site of a bomb explosion at a vegetable market in Parachinar city, the capital of Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border on Jan 21, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>Twenty people were killed and scores injured after a bomb exploded at a bustling market in Pakistan yesterday.

The blast in the city of Parachinar, near the Afghanistan border, left at least 50 people injured,

A faction of the Pakistani Taleban (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that its goal was “to avenge the killing of our associates”.

The group’s spokesman said it wanted to “teach a lesson to Shiites for their support for Bashar al-Assad”, referring to the Syrian president.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in a box of vegetables, although other reports suggested a suicide bomber was responsible.

Ashiq Hussain, who was buying fruit when the bomb went off, said: “There was a big bang and I saw a dark cloud of smoke and dust before passing out.”

When he regained consciousness, he added that he saw people bleeding and severed limbs.

Shahid Khan, an assistant tribal administrator in the city – the capital of Pakistan’s Kurram tribal region – said the explosion took place when the market was crowded with retailers buying fruit and vegetables from a wholesale shop.

Dr Sabir Hussain, a doctor at the main hospital in Parachinar, said that 11 critically wounded people were brought to the facility but died during treatment.

He said several others remained in a serious condition and were being moved to other hospitals for better care.

The bombing took place in a predominantly Shiite area of Kurram, which has been attacked in the past by Sunni militants who have hideouts there. Shiites are a minority in Pakistan.

Kurram has been the scene of increased militant activities in recent years. The army carried out a massive operation against extremists but they still have the capacity to strike.

A spokesman for the TTP warned that his Sunni Muslim group would continue attacking Shia Muslims if they back president Assad, whose regime is entrenched in a six-year civil war that has claimed more than 310,000 lives.

Shiite leader Faqir Hussain said the bodies of the victims were brought to a Shiite mosque.

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, the provincial governor, told local Geo television that the remnants of militant groups targeted by security forces were trying to show their existence with such attacks.

“Terrorists have been largely eliminated by our security forces and the remaining will soon meet their fate if we all together rise against them,” he said.

In December 2015, an IED blast at the same market killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 30.

Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif has issued a statement expressing his grief over the latest loss of life.</s>Blast kills at least 21 in Pakistan vegetable market, says official

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 21 (Reuters) - An explosion in a busy vegetable market killed at least 21 people on Saturday in Pakistan's remote northwestern tribal region, an official said.

About 40 others were wounded in the blast in Kurram region, near the border with Afghanistan, said Sajid Hussain Turi, member of the National Assembly from the region.

"We received 21 bodies of the local tribal people killed in the blast," Turi said, adding that there would be a mass funeral and then a demonstration over the attack.

Reports differed on the cause of the explosion.

Turi said a homemade bomb had been planted in a pile of tomatoes and exploded as people gathered in the market in Parachinar, Kurram's main town, early on Saturday morning.

Taliban militants have been active around Parachinar in the past, ad the town has also suffered sectarian tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

Another Kurram official, Sabzali Khan, said early reports had suggested that a suicide bomber was responsible for the blast.

An eyewitness, Ashiq Hussain, said he saw bodies strewn around the market and wounded people crying out for help.

"There was no ambulance, and people had to carry the injured in cars and private pickup trucks to the hospital," Hussain told Reuters.

A statement from Pakistan's military said army helicopters had been dispatched to evacuate the wounded.</s>At least 20 people lost their lives in Pakistan after a blast hit a vegetable market in Kurram Agency's area of Parachinar city on Saturday morning (21 January). According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the explosion took place at 8.50am local time (3.50am GMT) during rush hour when the retailers were busy buying fruits and vegetables.

Ikramullah Khan, a senior government official in Parachinar, said that the source of the blast was an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in a vegetable box.

"At least 20 people have been killed and 49 wounded," assistant political agent Shahid Ali told Dawn News. Meanwhile, a bomb disposal squad official confirmed that the explosion was remote-controlled.

AFP news agency cited Noorullah Khan, an official in Parachinar hospital, as saying over 40 injured have been shifted to the hospital.

Dr Sabir Hussain at the Parachinar main hospital said that 11 of those injured died while being treated. Several people who have been critically injured have been shifted to other hospitals for better care, he added.

Ashiq Hussain, an eyewitness, said he saw bodies strewn around the market following the blast.

"There was no ambulance, and people had to carry the injured in cars and private pickup trucks to the hospital," Hussain said.

No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.

The Kurram agency is one of the most sensitive tribal areas of Pakistan as it borders Afghanistan and is adjacent to North Waziristan where Operation Zarb-i-Azb is in progress against the Tehreek-i-Taliban and other insurgent groups.</s>The blast took place at the crowded Sabzi Mandi inside Eidgah Bazaar in Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of the agency near the Afghan border. The blast took place at the crowded Sabzi Mandi inside Eidgah Bazaar in Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of the agency near the Afghan border.

At least 15 people were killed and 30 others injured on Saturday in a blast at a vegetable market in northwest Pakistan’s restive Kurram Agency, officials said. The blast took place at the crowded Sabzi Mandi inside Eidgah Bazaar in Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of the agency near the Afghan border.

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Initial report suggests that explosives kept in vegetable crates exploded during auction of the vegetables, killing 15 people and wounding 30 others, officials said. The injured were shifted to parachinar headquarters hospital. Security personnel rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entire area and started search operation. Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border. It has witnessed scores of attacks.
At least 22 people are killed and around 90 injured after a bomb explodes at a vegetable market in Parachinar in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.