Incident Summary:
11/08/2009: On Sunday morning around 0945, an explosion occurred at a cattle market in Matni area of Adizai, Peshawar, which killed 13 people, including the local mayor and wounded 44 more. A suicide bomber arrived in a car with five other people. The bomber got out of the car and approached Mayor Abdul Malik's vehicle and detonated the eight to 10 kilogram vest bomb when the mayor was getting out of his vehicle. Malik and his nephew were killed while his son was injured in the attack. Omar, the spokesman for the Taliban has claimed this attack by telephone in Peshawar, stating it was an act of vengeance against Mayor Nazim Abdul Malik's efforts to fight the Taliban. This is also related to the police cordoning off roads leading into the blast site and relief activities being put into effect.
Overview
GTD ID:
200911080012
When:
2009-11-08
Country:
Pakistan
Region:
South Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
North-West Frontier Province
City:
Peshawar
Location Details:
Matni area of Adizai
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Assassination |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Government (General) |
Name of Entity |
Pakistani Government |
Specific Description |
Mayor Nazim Abdul Malik |
Nationality of Target |
Pakistan |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Unknown |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
Weapon Details |
An eight to 10 kilogram suicide vest was used in the attack. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
The most recent available sources listed the fatalities for this attack from 10 to 12 to 13 to 17, and the injuries for this attack from 20 to 30 to 35 to 44, so the majority casualty figures have been used in order to preserve statistical accuracy in the database. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Unknown |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
5 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
13 Fatalities / 44 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
13 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
1 |
Total Number of Injured |
44 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Xinhua News Agency, “Taliban Claim Responsibility for Suicide Attack in Pakistan's Peshawar," http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/08/content_12412423.htm (November 8, 2009). |
Daily Times, “Anti-Taliban Nazim Among 13 Dead in Suicide Attack,” http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009/11/09/story_9-11-2009_pg1_5 (Novembe 9, 2009). |
New York Times, “Pakistan Blast Kills Anti-Taliban Mayor,” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?_r=1&ref=asia (November 8, 2009). |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties