MARDAN, Pakistan, (Reuters) – A boy in a school uniform blew himself up at a Pakistani army recruitment centre yesterday, killing 31 cadets, officials said, in an attack that challenges government assertions it has weakened militants.
The army has carried out a series of offensives against the Qaeda-linked Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack.
Operations in lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border have failed to break the resolve of Taliban fighters determined to destabilise the U.S.-backed government.
The brazen bombing in the northwestern town of Mardan suggested militants are regrouping after a lull in major attacks.
In a sign of how nervous the government is about security, soldiers at the gates of the military compound searched drivers before allowing them to transport coffins inside.
Militant operations in recent months have been mostly sectarian and have not focused on military targets.
“The bomber struck recruits when cadets were busy in their morning training,” a military official told Reuters. At least 20 people were wounded.
