Gunmen kill 40 in Pakistan attacks

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

About 40 people were killed in the raids and a separate suicide bombing on the other side of the country.

The Taliban have warned Pakistan to stop pursuing them in military operations but the Pakistani army is preparing for a new offensive in the South Waziristan tribal region.

In Lahore, terrorist teams attacked three security sites including a commando training centre where fighting continued for hours before security forces killed five attackers and freed a family they were holding hostage.

Later, a bomb has exploded near a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar, injuring five people, police have said.

Peshawar police chief Ijaz Khan said the car bomb went off outside a home near a school in the Gulshan Rehman area. The school was closed at the time.

The assaults paralysed Pakistan's cultural capital, showing the militants are highly organised and able to carry out sophisticated strikes against heavily fortified facilities despite stepped up security across the country.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, although suspicion fell on the Taliban which has claimed other recent strikes. The attacks also were the latest to underscore the growing threat to Punjab, the province next to India where the Taliban are believed to have made inroads and linked up with local insurgents.

President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over the past 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate the violent extremists.

"The enemy has started a guerrilla war," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said. "The whole nation should be united against these handful of terrorists, and God willing we will defeat them."