At least 19 killed as explosion rocks courthouse
(19 Nov 2009) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of blast scene, with car purportedly used in bombing, firemen 2. Mid of wrecked car, fireman extinguishing flames 3. Close of blood on ground 4. Close of watch on ground 5. Mid of lawyers from courthouse at the scene 6. Damaged motorcycles on the street 7. Close of hat on ground and blood stain 8. Top view of blast scene with police, lawyers and onlookers 9. Wide of scene of blast showing fire brigades, emergency officials and courthouse in the background 10. Mid of scene with police officers, damaged cars and debris 11. Mid of firemen hosing smouldering, wrecked car 12. Mid pan of debris and damage after blast 13. Close of police officer's hat on ground 14. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Farman Ullah, lawyer and eyewitness: "My name is Farman and I am the joint-secretary of the district bar in Peshawar. I often offer my duty on the gate alongside police, so that no private vehicle should come in the area. Today I went a little far from the gate, and it was at that time the blast occurred. I looked behind, and saw a lot of dead bodies lying on the ground. I saw perhaps 15 to 20 dead bodies and they were put in ambulances. It was totally dark (with smoke) at the scene and many people were unconscious. That was the position right after the blast." 15. Army soldiers keeping media away from blast site 16. Mid of soldiers in vehicles with weapons 17. Wide of site of the attack 18. Wide exterior of Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, crowd outside 19. Ambulance arriving with siren sounding 20. People helping injured lawyer out of ambulance 21. Hospital staff wheeling away dead person on stretcher 22. Various of hospital staff taking wounded people into hospital for treatment 23. Mid of rescue workers wheeling covered body away STORYLINE A suicide bomber killed 19 people on Thursday outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan, the latest attack by Islamist militants fighting back against an army offensive in the nearby Afghan border region. The bombing, which took place around 1030 local time (0530 GMT), was the seventh attack in less than two weeks in and around Peshawar, the largest city in the northwest. The attacks have killed more than 80 people. The bomber, who arrived in a taxi, was being searched by police officers at the gate of the city's lower court when he detonated explosives on his body, government official Sahibzada Anees said. Several damaged motorbikes were strewn about the site, and firefighters sprayed water on a charred, smoking white car. Dr. Saib Gul of the city's Lady Reading Hospital said 19 people were killed in the attack and 51 had been wounded. At least three of the dead were police. The army launched its offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan in mid-October. It has retaken many towns in the region, but the militants say they avoided fighting and will now begin a guerrilla campaign. The United States has welcomed the assault, but wants the army to do more against the insurgents in the border area blamed for violence across the border in Afghanistan. Pakistan officials flagged the offensive in South Waziristan several months before it actually began, something that allowed the militants to escape and plan the current wave of attacks, claimed Bashir Ahmad Bilour, senior minister of the North West Frontier Province. Since the beginning of October, more than 300 people have been killed in bombings and militant raids on government, civilian and western targets in the country, most of them in the northwest. Shana Khuwara village is not far from the border with South Waziristan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
