THE TELEGRAPH: Terrorists struck against Pakistan's security forces with devastating effect, killing at least 23 people in a suicide car bombing in Lahore.
Almost 300 more people were injured in an attack that the government said was revenge for its offensive against the Taliban.
The assault began when a car was driven up to the gates of a provincial headquarters of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. Several men inside the car jumped out and opened up with a volley of gunfire. Guards outside the building returned fire.
A few seconds later the explosives in the car were detonated, causing a huge explosion which flattened a police building next to the ISI offices, and shattered surrounding buildings, including a hospital.
A wide crater was left where the car had blown up. At least nine policemen and several intelligence agents, including a senior officer, were among the dead. The remainder of the dead and the bulk of the wounded were civilians caught in the midmorning blast on Wednesday in the centre of the city.
Muhammad Ali, a bystander, said: "The moment the blast happened, everything went dark in front of my eyes. The way the blast happened, then gunfire, it looked as if there was a battle going on." >>> By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
