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Suicide blast in Pakistan kills six, wounds 11

A suicide bomber blew himself up near Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi yesterday, killing six people, officials said.

The attack took place as Musharraf met nearby with top government officials to discuss security after a spate of recent attacks, including an assassination attempt on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, local media said.

"It was a suicide attack. The area is sensitive -- we don't know what the exact target was," said Pakistani Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, a close aide to Musharraf.

The blast happened a short way from Musharraf's military camp office in the city, where the meeting took place, and was near the office of the chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff, witnesses said.

civilians

Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz told reporters three policemen and three passers-by were killed when the bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint.

Eleven others were wounded, he said.

"He wanted to get past our security cordon, but we were successful in stopping him. We were alert and we will remain alert," Aziz said.

Police official Mohammad Tahir said the bomber was on foot and was stopped by police at a checkpoint in the city.

"He then detonated explosives strapped to his body," he said, adding that the victims included policemen and a cyclist.

The interior ministry denied the bomber meant to target the army.

"It appears to be an attack targeting police," ministry spokesman Javed Cheema said. He gave a toll of five dead.

The site was cordoned off by security personnel and journalists were stopped from reaching the area.

suicide attackers

Rashid, the railways minister, said there were reports up to three possible suicide attackers had managed to enter Rawalpindi and neighboring Islamabad in recent days.

Musharraf, a key US ally, has escaped at least three assassination attempts blamed on Islamic militants, the most recent being in July when his plane was fired on as it took off from Rawalpindi.

He also survived two bombings in Rawalpindi in December 2003.

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the city, the heart of the country's military establishment, on Sept. 4 this year, killing 25 people. Most of those killed were in a bus taking intelligence officials to work.

The latest incident came less than two weeks after twin suicide attacks in the southern city of Karachi killed 139 people during a procession to welcome Bhutto home from eight years in exile.

Pakistani officials have implicated Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in the Karachi blasts, but Bhutto says she believes rogue security and government agents may also have been involved.
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