The explosion ripped through a crowded bazaar on the outskirts of Kohat. The bomb was planted next to a hotel and close to a bus stop on the Hangu Road where passengers and coaches were waiting. A policeman on the scene said that "buildings, such as restaurants and shops, had collapsed from both sides and there had been a lot of damage." Scores died and dozens were injured in the devastation.

The attack came as people were preparing for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid -- the Senior Minister of North West Frontier Province, Bashir Bilour, expressed his outrage:

“Those people, by spreading terrorism, are trying to challenge the government and to take power themselves. They cause blasts and kill people even in mosques and at funerals. The families of the dead and the people in hospital are about to celebrate Eid -- I really don’t know what these people are trying to attain.”

Major haven for militants

The garrison town of Kohat borders Orakzai agency, which is part of the autonomous ethnic Pashtun tribal belt on the border with Afghanistan. The area has become a major haven for militants fighting on both sides of the border.

Orakzai is also thought to be a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban’s present chief, Hakimullah Mehsud, who took over after Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a suspected US airstrike.

A spokesman purporting to represent a group called "Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi" claimed responsibility for the bombing. He said it was to avenge the killing in June of Maulana M. Amin, the group’s leader.

There has been speculation that this group is linked to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni extremist group connected to the Taliban.

The area is mainly inhabited by minority Shi’ites and most of the victims of Friday's attack belong to this community.

The Taliban are Sunnis and attacks on Shi’ites, whom they consider to be apostates, are part of their strategy in their fight against the government.

Rise in sectarian violence

Sectarian violence in the region has intensified over the past two years. In June, dozens died in clashes between Shi’ites and Sunnis in the Kurrum agency that neighbours Orakzai and North Waziristan. Shi’ite tribesmen in the area have formed local militias to challenge the Taliban.

There has been a massive influx of Sunni militants since spring when the army launched its massive anti-Taliban offensive in Swat.

The military says that up to 1,800 militants were killed in the offensive. Almost two million people were displaced by the fighting. Earlier this month, the government suggested the back of the Pakistani Taliban had been “broken”.

But the army has been cautious to make any such claims. Although there might have been fewer bomb blasts since Baitullah Mehsud’s death, Friday's attack shows that the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants remain a serious threat.

Author: Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein