Car Bombing Kills 17 at Pakistan Refugee Camp

Panic in Camp Along Afghan Border

At least 17 people were killed today, and 42 others badly wounded when a car bomb detonated in the Jalozai Refugee Camp outside of Peshawar, near the Afghan border.

The bomb was detonated near a cluster of people during food distribution, sparking panic throughout the camp and putting a nearby hospital in a state of “red alert.”

Jalozai is the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, housing tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDP) from across the tribal areas. The camp and others were set up when Pakistan’s military began invading the tribal areas.

So far no group has claimed responsibility, but the local Taliban faction denied it, saying the attack was “inhuman and un-Islamic.” There was no indication if the bombing was targeted at a specific person, or if it was just a general attack designed to sew fear.

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.