A Taliban bomb attack on a military vehicle in Pakistan's northwest
killed at least 13 people Tuesday, as political leaders in Islamabad
continued to pressure President Pervez Musharraf to resign.
Pakistani authorities say the bomb was placed under a bridge located between Badaber Air Force Base and the city of Peshawar.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban (Maulvi Omar) claimed
responsibility, saying the attack was in response to recent operations
that have killed more than 160 militants along the Afghan border.
Pakistan has been carrying out air strikes against suspected militants
in the nearby Bajaur tribal region.
Also Tuesday, a second Pakistani provincial assembly called for President Musharraf to face a confidence vote.
Lawmakers in the North West Frontier Province passed the resolution by
a vote of 107-to-four. On Monday, the assembly in Punjab province
approved a similar resolution.
Mr. Musharraf is not required by the constitution to take a vote of
confidence, and his spokesman said the president will not step down.
Ruling party lawmakers in Pakistan's National Assembly are drafting a
list of impeachment charges to be leveled against the embattled
president.
Removing the president requires a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Pakistan's parliament.
Meanwhile, in Bajaur, at least five civilians were killed Tuesday when
Pakistani helicopter gunships targeted suspected militant hideouts.
Officials also are trying to confirm whether a militant killed in the
region last week was a top al-Qaida leader in Pakistan, Abu Saeed
al-Masri.