Suspected suicide bomber strikes in Pakistan

An explosion in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, has killed or wounded up to 15 people, officials said today.

Initial information suggests the blast was a suicide attack.

Naeem Iqbal, a police spokesman, said the explosion today occurred in a kiosk in front of the police station, which is also near Islamabad’s Melody Market.

Television footage showed wounded security forces being taken away and ambulances rushing to the area.

Kamal Shah, the interior secretary, said early information indicates a suicide bomber was involved. He said as many as 15 people could be dead or wounded, but that authorities are still “looking at the scene.”

The blast occurred as thousands of Islamists gathered not far away to mark the one-year anniversary of a deadly military crackdown on a radical mosque.

It was not clear whether the events were linked.