Suicide bomber kills at least 42 in Pakistan province

A suicide bomber killed at least 42 people today at a meeting called by tribal elders to deal with rising Taliban militancy in Pakistan’s volatile northwest, authorities said.

Dozens of others were wounded in the blast, the third in three days in North-West Frontier Province, a rugged and lawless region where Pakistani security forces are waging an increasingly deadly fight against armed Taliban and Al Qaeda supporters.

The series of attacks, in which more than 80 have been killed, underscore the grave security and political challenges facing the country as the opposition parties that won last month’s elections grapple with the task of forming a new government.

Hundreds of leaders representing five local tribes had assembled this morning on an open plain in the town of Darra Adamkhel, about 20 miles south of the city of Peshawar, to plot a strategy to combat militants in their area. Witnesses said that the gathering, known as a jirga, finished at about 11 a.m., with about 200 men staying behind to work out the details of a plan to establish a volunteer militia.

About half an hour later, a suicide attacker blew himself up in their midst, authorities said.

Television footage showed shoes, caps and blood scattered around the site of the blast. Local hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, which officials said by evening included at least 42 dead and 53 injured.

Local residents identified the bomber as a teenager from Darra Adamkhel, a town known as a hotbed of illegal gun manufacturing.

The bombing was the second major attack within days that managed to kill more than three dozen people at once. On Friday, a suicide bomber struck at a high school in the scenic Swat Valley where mourners had gathered for the funeral service of a high-ranking police officer. At least 40 people died in that attack, which came despite claims by the government to have pacified the insurgency in the valley.

On Saturday, two people died in a bombing in Bajur, also in the troubled northwest, in Pakistan’s tribal belt.

The attacks show an increasing willingness by militants to target civilians. Previously, they had directed most of their attacks against Pakistani police and military personnel.

The insurgency has proven one of the most intractable problems facing President Pervez Musharraf, whom the United States considers a crucial ally in the fight against Islamic extremism. Different approaches, ranging from open confrontation with militants to attempted peace deals, have failed to stem the rising tide of attacks, which have struck parts of the country outside the northwest, including the capital, Islamabad.

While most Pakistanis abhor the violence gripping their nation, many are critical of the harsh military crackdown on the tribal areas, which they see as Musharraf doing the bidding of U.S. officials.

Musharraf’s political allies were decisively defeated in parliamentary elections Feb. 18, and the main opposition parties have announced their intention to work together to form a government. They have also expressed dissatisfaction with Musharraf’s approach to quelling the insurgency and hinted at intentions of changing course, but they have not yet spelled out how they would do so.

Musharraf has blamed Islamic militants for the assassination in December of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. Having won the most seats in parliament in last month’s election, the party is expected to name a new prime minister in coming days.

henry.chu@latimes.com

Special correspondent Ali reported from Peshawar and Times staff writer Chu from New Delhi.