PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A car bomb exploded as a convoy of paramilitary troops passed through the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, police said.
Most of the dead and wounded were civilians. The blast struck one vehicle in the convoy of paramilitary Frontier Corps troops, but the other passed by safely, said police official Shafiullah Khan. It is unclear whether it was a suicide bombing or the explosives in the vehicle were set off by remote control.
The blast damaged many vehicles and shops in the area, according to local TV footage. Frontier Corps vehicles rushed to the scene to help after the attack, as a police officer collected evidence from the crater caused by the bomb.
No one has claimed responsibility. But suspicion will likely fall on the Pakistani Taliban. The group has been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for years that has killed thousands of security personnel and civilians.