42 Killed as Car Bomb Tears Through Pakistan Marketplace

Shops Gutted in Latest Taliban Strike on Peshawar

At least 42 people are confirmed killed tonight and between 80 and 100 others wounded as a massive car bomb tore through Peshawar’s historic Qissa Khawani bazaar.

The attack started a fire that gutted much of the bazaar, with 50 shops either badly damaged or destroyed outright. It was near a police station and a mosque, but some say the bazaar itself was the intended target, and a Pakistani Taliban splinter group has claimed credit for it.

Qissa Khawani bazaar is one of the most historic bazaars in central Asia, and was also the site of a 1930 massacre of civilians by British soldiers. It remains one of the largest shopping districts in Peshawar.

Peshawar seems to be a prime target for Taliban factions right now, with today’s bombing the third major attack against the city in a single week, and occurred just 300 meters away from the site of last Sunday’s massive church bombing.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.