24 dead in Pakistan blasts

A suicide bomber on a bicycle attacked a major air base on Friday, killing seven people in a campaign of violence that targets Pakistan’s security forces.

The strike was one of three bombings in northwestern Pakistan that killed 24 people as the army pushed deeper into Al Qaeda and Taliban territory close to the border with Afghanistan.

About 200 people have been killed this month in militant attacks on military, police and civilian targets nationwide.

The bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint on a road leading to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, about 30 miles from the capital, Islamabad. The sprawling complex is the country’s major air force maintenance and research hub, servicing and building jet fighters and radar systems.

The blast killed two security officers and five civilians who were on their way to work at the base, said police officer Akbar Abbas.

Hours later, an explosion struck a bus traveling in the Mohmand tribal region. Four women and three children were among the 17 killed, said Zabit Khan, a local government official.

He said it was unclear whether the bus struck a roadside bomb or an explosive device was detonated by remote control.

The third attack involved a car bomb that exploded in the parking lot of a recreational facility in Peshawar, the main city in the troubled northwest. Fifteen people were wounded.