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A REBEL bomber on a motorcycle has attacked a Pakistan Air Force bus in Sargodha, killing at least eight including him and wounding about 40 people.
The bomber crashed his explosive-laden motorbike into a bus carrying trainee flying officers near an air base in Panjab province, about 200 kilometers south of the capital of Islamabad on Thursday.
Calling the incident 'an act of terrorism', military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said that the incident had eight fatalities, four of whom were officers.
After taking Thursday's blast into consideration, Pakistan has seen close to 61 suicide bombings since January, 2002.
Observers say the attacks have now become almost solely directed against the armed forces. The attack which was the first on air force personnel is seen as an escalation in the challenges Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf is facing.
Pakistan has been rocked by a string of suicide bombings in recent weeks, deepening political turmoil ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether Musharraf's Oct. 6 presidential victory was constitutional. The rebels say it is a fidayeen attack and in a revenge of what Pakistani military doing in northern areas of Pakistan. They believe that Pakistan Military is working under the guidance and control of the US and Pakistan military is an extension of the US army.
There are fears Musharraf could impose a state of emergency if judges rule against him, jeopardizing the country's transition from military to so called civilian rule.
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