Peshawar blasts kill 23

TWO bombs exploded in the Pakistani city of Peshawar yesterday, killing 23 people.

A suicide bomber was behind the deadlier blast, which occurred just before dusk in a crowded market area. Police said the target was apparently officers watching over a rally by members of a political party against power cuts in the city.

Police officers and protesters were among the 22 people killed and more than 30 injured.

Earlier, a bomb exploded outside a school run by a police welfare foundation, killing a young boy aged between five and seven and leaving ten other people injured, including five children.

The school raises money to help families of police officers.

Taleban and al-Qaeda militants based in the Afghan border region have carried out hundreds of attacks over the past three years.