Pakistan bomb attacks kill at least 24

Two bombs exploded in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi during the morning rush hour today, killing 24 people and wounding 66.

Two bombs exploded in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi during the morning rush hour today, killing 24 people and wounding 66.

One bomb blew up a bus carrying Ministry of Defence employees on their way to work, said a military spokesman.

The second exploded on a motorcycle in a market area of Rawalpindi, where the army has its headquarters and Islamabad's international airport is located.

"Both are terrorist acts and all the dead and wounded are Pakistanis," the spokesman said. The bombs went off at about the same time.

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Pakistan has suffered a surge of militant violence since July, when commandos stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad and a peace pact broke down with militants in the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border.

The violence comes as Pakistan is entering a period of political uncertainty, with the army chief and president, Gen Pervez Musharraf, preparing to try to secure a new term and his opponents vowing to end his rule.