Suicide attack kills 49 in Pakistan: The Times, Oct 10

Lahore: A suicide car bomb exploded in a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar yesterday, killing at least 49 people — an attack that the Government said could bring forward a planned army assault on the militant stronghold of South Waziristan.
The bomber detonated a car packed full of explosives and artillery shells around midday in the Khyber Bazaar commercial neighbourhood.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister, blamed the Pakistani Taleban, who have repeatedly threatened to take revenge for the killing of Baitullah Mehsud, their leader, in a US drone strike in August. “We will take a decision on the operation against terrorists over the next few days,” he said.
However, analysts say that the army is unlikely to bring forward the operation because of a single bombing: this was the sixth in Peshawar in four months. There are, though, fears that the timing and the scope of the operation could be affected by the Pakistani military’s objections to conditions attached to a new $7.5 billion (£4.7bn) US aid bill. The United States wants the army to attack not only the Pakistani Taleban but also other militants in the area who cross the Afghan border to attack Nato and US troops. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6867649.ece