Afghan consulate employees among 8 killed in Pakistan

USPA News - At least eight people killed, including two Afghan consulate workers, when a suicide bomber attacked a convoy in northwestern Pakistan, local authorities said Monday. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

The suicide bomber was riding an explosive-laden bicycle when a convoy drove by in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to city police chief liaqat Ali Khan. The convoy was accompanied by a number of police vehicles. Eight people were confirmed dead. Among the dead were Qazi Mohammad Hilal Waqad and Mohammad Idrees, son and nephew of Qazi Amin Waqad, who is a member of the Afghan High Peace Council that is working on peace negotiations with the Taliban. Both Afghan nationals were also employees at their country`s consulate in Peshawar. Afghan Consul General Syed Mohammad Ibrahim Khel said that the Afghan nationals, who were killed as they were on their way to work, were not the apparent target of the attack. In addition to the eight deaths, at least 42 others were reported injured, and authorities said the death toll was likely to increase.