Five die in suicide blast at UN aid agency

A SUICIDE bomber disguised as a security officer struck the lobby of the UN food agency’s Pakistan headquarters yesterday, killing five people a day after the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban vowed fresh assaults, authorities and witnesses said.

The blast raises questions as to how the bomber managed to evade tight security at the heavily fortified World Food Programme compound in the capital, Islamabad. It could also hamper the work of WFP and other aid agencies assisting Pakistanis displaced by army offensives against al-Qaida and the Taliban in their strongholds close to the Afghan border.

Hours after the attack, the world body said it was closing its offices in Pakistan temporarily.