More than 2,000 people have died in Taliban-linked bombings in Pakistan since July 2007. — Photo by AFP

CHARSADDA Seven people were killed and eight others injured when a bomb placed in a vehicle exploded at a filling station in the Shabqadar area, about 25 kilometres northeast of Peshawar, on Monday.

Police said the time-bomb went off when the driver parked the vehicle for fuelling before leaving for Anbar in the Mohmand tribal region. The driver, two children and three women were killed and a passer-by, who was seriously injured died on way to hospital.

The bomb were hidden inside a carton of medicines.

DPO Mohammad Raiz told Dawn that the carton of 'medicines' had been given to the driver by a man who wanted it to be handed over to a person in the Anbar bazaar.

Local Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. Qari Shakeel called newsmen in Charsadda and said that the explosion was a warning for the people of Anbar who had raised an anti-Taliban Lashkar. He warned that more attacks would follow if the Lashkar was not disbanded.

(According to AP, the Taliban also claimed responsibility for two weekend suicide bombings in the Swat valley, saying the blasts were a message to a visiting US envoy that the militants remained strong despite Pakistan army's recent gains there.

A Swat Taliban spokesman called AP to say the militants timed the attacks to coincide with the visit by Richard Holbrooke, who has been tasked with pressing the Pakistani government to launch a crackdown on extremists.

 
The bombings were 'a gift to Holbrooke,' Muslim Khan said. 'The Taliban cannot be eliminated.'

He claimed that the bombings, in which a number of troops were killed, were aimed at avenging the alleged deaths of militants in army's custody.

Lt-Col Akhtar Abbas, an army commander in Swat, denied the army was killing militants in custody and speculated that the Taliban remnants were likely slaying wounded comrades rather than leave them behind to be captured and give up information to government forces.)

Police have registered an FIR against Qari Shakeel and another Taliban leader, Adnan alias Usman, for the Shabqadar blast.

Those killed by the blast included driver Zahid, Taj Mohammad, Nisar, the wife of Matli Khan and the wife of Mohammad Sadiq.