Islamabad:
A new blast on Friday morning crippled Peshawar with its second terror attack in 24 hours. The suicide attack, carried out in a car filled with explosives, targeted a police station where several militants were being held for interrogation.
The point, one that's been enforced repeatedly over the last two weeks in different parts of the country: That it's the state and its security officers who're now the target of terrorists.
Pakistani officials say there's no doubt that these attacks are payback for their government's new offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan.
Amid that, Pakistan's new Taliban chief has issued a direct warning to India. "We want an Islamic state. If we get that, then we will go to the borders and help fight the Indians," says Hakimullah Mehsud, in footage aired by Britain's Sky News channel.
Sources in Delhi say while his threat is being investigated in detail, the Taliban's anti-India posturing is aimed at gathering support within Pakistan. Many who may have secretly or openly sided with the Taliban are struggling with the impact of the newest attacks, which saw women and children being taken hostage or injured. More than a 100 people have been killed this week in Taliban strikes.
This is not the first time Taliban commanders have trained their guns on India. In fact, different factions of the Taliban have already used Afghanistan as a battleground to wage war against India. Last week, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Nearly 20 people were killed, and 80 injured. A year ago, the same embassy saw one of Kabul's deadliest terror attacks. A suicide bomber drove into the embassy's front wall. His car exploded in a blast so powerful that 60 people were killed.
Meanwhile, Pakistan warplanes are bombing suspected Taliban outposts in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The government believes there are 1,500 foreign terrorists including Uzbeks, Arabs and Sudanese in terrorist hideouts in the region.
The point, one that's been enforced repeatedly over the last two weeks in different parts of the country: That it's the state and its security officers who're now the target of terrorists.
Pakistani officials say there's no doubt that these attacks are payback for their government's new offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan.
Amid that, Pakistan's new Taliban chief has issued a direct warning to India. "We want an Islamic state. If we get that, then we will go to the borders and help fight the Indians," says Hakimullah Mehsud, in footage aired by Britain's Sky News channel.
Sources in Delhi say while his threat is being investigated in detail, the Taliban's anti-India posturing is aimed at gathering support within Pakistan. Many who may have secretly or openly sided with the Taliban are struggling with the impact of the newest attacks, which saw women and children being taken hostage or injured. More than a 100 people have been killed this week in Taliban strikes.
This is not the first time Taliban commanders have trained their guns on India. In fact, different factions of the Taliban have already used Afghanistan as a battleground to wage war against India. Last week, a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Nearly 20 people were killed, and 80 injured. A year ago, the same embassy saw one of Kabul's deadliest terror attacks. A suicide bomber drove into the embassy's front wall. His car exploded in a blast so powerful that 60 people were killed.
Meanwhile, Pakistan warplanes are bombing suspected Taliban outposts in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The government believes there are 1,500 foreign terrorists including Uzbeks, Arabs and Sudanese in terrorist hideouts in the region.
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