Security officials in Pakistan say a suicide bomb attack targeting
police has killed at least 15 people, and injured more than 22 others,
near the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
Officials say most of the victims were police.
The blast happened just after several thousand Islamists had rallied
nearby to mark the first anniversary of an army siege and raid on the
Red Mosque.
Officials say the bomber targeted police who were deployed as part of security precautions for the rally.
President Pervez Musharraf has condemned the bombing as a terrorist act.
Pakistani security forces had strict security in place for the protest,
with road blocks and barbed wire fencing to prevent vehicles from
entering the area.
More than 100 people were killed during fighting at the mosque in early
July last year. Pakistan security forces stormed the compound after an
eight-day siege. The mosque's hardline clerics and supporters had waged
a violent campaign to impose strict Taliban-style law in Pakistan.
The army operation at the Red Mosque last year unleashed a wave of
suicide bombings across Pakistan by pro-Taliban militants in which
hundreds of people were killed.