Pakistan: Taliban kills paramilitary police chief - Washington Times

Pakistan: Taliban kills paramilitary police chief - Washington Times: "PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Taliban suicide bomber killed the head of a U.S.-backed paramilitary police force battling militants in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, one of the highest-ranking security officers ever assassinated in the country.

The bombing in Peshawar that killed Sifwat Ghayur, the head of the 25,000-strong Frontier Constabulary, was the first attack since monsoon rains triggered massive flooding over a week ago. This northwest city, often targeted by the Taliban, had been calm recently but renewed violence could further strain a government already struggling with the flood relief effort.

The bomber detonated his explosives next to Mr. Ghayur's car in the center of Peshawar after waiting at a traffic light for the vehicle to approach, said the police chief's driver, Shakirullah Khan, who was injured in the attack.

'I stopped the car at a traffic light,' said Mr. Khan, who was driving Mr. Ghayur home from the office. 'While my boss was sitting in the left front seat, I saw a young boy move from the sidewalk toward our car, and in no time a huge explosion took place and our car was in flames.'

The explosion engulfed several vehicles, killing the police chief and three bodyguards, said Mohammad Haris Khan, a senior police officer. The attack also injured 11 people, he said.