Suicide bomber kills 75 people in volleyball game attack

A SUICIDE car bomber drove his vehicle onto a field during a volleyball tournament in north-west Pakistan yesterday, setting off a blast that killed at least 75 people, wounded 70 and smacked of retaliation for efforts by residents to expel militants, police said.

The blast underscores the difficulty Pakistan has had in stopping militants whose reach extends far beyond the country’s lawless tribal belt and who appear increasingly willing to strike civilians as well as security forces.

The attack in Lakki Marwat city was not far from South Waziristan, where the army is waging an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban. That operation has provoked apparent reprisal attacks that have killed more than 500 people since October.