Bombers target home of Pakistani paramilitary official, kill 20

From Nasir Habib, CNN

September 7, 2011 -- Updated 1140 GMT (1940 HKT)

Suicide bombings kill many in Pakistan

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility
• The attacks take place in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta
• The first bomber rams his vehicle into parked cars, an official says
• The second detonates explosives inside the house, he says

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two suicide bombers targeted the home of a senior officer with Pakistan's paramilitary force Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 40.
The attacks took place in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.
The first bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into security vehicles cars parked outside the home of Brigadier Farukh Shehzad, a senior official of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force, officials said.
The second attacker, who was on foot, managed to enter the house, said Naseem Lehri, a government official in Quetta.
When a security officer fired on him, the attacker blew himself up, Lehri said.
Among those killed was were six security personnel and Shehzad's wife, he said.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks.
ihsanullah ihsan, the spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban, said the target of the attack was Shehzad and the group expressed regret at the death of his wife.
Ahsan said the attacks were retaliation for Shehzad's involvement in an operation against the group on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border last year.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has been described as a "Taliban-inspired alliance of Pakistan-based Sunni tribal militants."

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which has been a hotbed for militancy.

Journalist A.S. Khattak contributed to this report.

RELATED TOPICS

• Pakistan
• Terrorism
• Suicide Attacks