Death toll rises to 106 in Peshawar car blast

A car bomb struck a busy market in Meena Bazaar of Peshawar on Wednesday, killing 106 people mostly women and children. More than 200 people were wounded in the blast in Peshawar, the deadliest in a surge of attacks by suspected insurgents this month. Wednesday's bomb destroyed much of the Meena Bazaar in Peshawar's old town, a warren of narrow alleys clogged with stalls and shops selling dresses, toys and cheap jewelry that drew many female shoppers and children in the conservative city. The blast collapsed buildings, including a mosque, and set scores of shops ablaze. The wounded sat amid burning debris and parts of bodies as a huge cloud of smoke rose above the city. No group claimed responsibility for the bombing. Three bombs have exploded in Peshawar this month, including one that killed more than 50 people. They are part of at least 10 major attacks in Pakistan that have killed 250 people either claimed by or blamed on Taliban militants. Most have targeted security forces, but some bombs have gone off in public places, apparently to undercut support for the army's assault on the border and expose the weakness of the government.