Forty people were killed and 60 others injured on Monday when two suicide attackers targeted a government compound, where an anti-Taliban militia was holding a meeting, in the lawless Mohmand tribal region of northwest Pakistan.
The first suicide bomber blew himself up outside the office of an assistant political agent in Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand Agency. Security forces attempted to capture the second attacker, who detonated his suicide vest outside another office.
Forty people were killed and more than 60 others injured, Muhammad Jahangir, Medical Superintendent of the state-run hospital in Ghalanai, told the media.
Twenty of the injured were in a serious condition, he said. Several seriously injured persons were taken to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, describing it as an "inhuman and brutal act of militants who have no regard for any religion".
The blasts caused widespread damage to the government compound. However, two assistant political agents whose offices were targeted by the attackers escaped unhurt.
Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and authorities imposed curfew in Ghalanai. The entry points of Mohmand Agency were cordoned off and additional security personnel were deployed at all check posts in the region.
Officials said the bombers were trying to target members of the anti-Taliban militia who were holding a meeting in the government compound. Over 100 people were present in the compound.
Tehsildar Shams-ul-Islam said the attackers came to the compound on motorcycles. "The security arrangements at the offices are foolproof but suicide attackers can strike anywhere. There were no lapses on our part," Shams-ul-Islam said.
In July, 104 people were killed when two suicide bombers targeted a government compound in Yakaghund village of Mohmand Agency. The tribal region is located on the road between Peshawar and Bajaur Agency, once a stronghold of Taliban militants.
Officials believe militants who fled Bajaur Agency after a military operation have taken shelter in mountainous areas of Mohmand Agency.