The blast left a trail of wounded and dead police officers in bloodied blue uniforms, their helmets, caps and shoes scattered in the street along with metal shards, broken glass and debris. Some officers lost limbs in the blast. Ambulances rushed to the scene, as did hundreds of worshipers from the mosque and bystanders from the market.
Authorities had deployed hundreds of police to secure protests held to commemorate the raid's anniversary. But the large concentration of police left them vulnerable to attack.
Militants had made threats after the government sent paramilitary troops late last month to flush out militants from a tribal area close to Peshawar, the main city in northwest Pakistan. The deployment marked the first time that the government, which took office in March, had moved militarily against the insurgents. Until then, the government had tried to negotiate with the militants.
