killed at least eight people and wounded 35 on Friday, according to provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed. He said the nature of the blast was still under investigation and did not specify how many victims were police or civilians. Bilal Ahmed Faizi of the 1122 rescue service said more than 45 rescue personnel had been deployed and that search-and-rescue operations would continue until concluded. No group immediately claimed responsibility, though the region has faced a sustained violent campaign by the Islamist militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). President Asif Ali Zardari expressed regret over the casualties and wished the injured a speedy recovery, calling for the "complete elimination of Fitna-al-Khawarij and terrorists operating with foreign backing"—a term he used for the TTP. Pakistan has attributed rising attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to militancy emanating from Afghanistan, where the Taliban government denies Afghan involvement. The accusations have deepened a bitter rift and armed conflict between the neighbours; Pakistan has conducted deadly airstrikes it says target militants on Afghan soil. Kabul and the United Nations reported that dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes on eastern Afghanistan in June. (Bssnews)