Pakistan: Car Bomb Targets US Consulate Vehicles

A roadside bomb hit two U.S. consulate vehicles in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing a passerby and causing minor wounds to some U.S. personnel, Pakistani television reported.

Police said at least 50 kilograms of low-grade explosives were packed into a parked car and then detonated by remote-control.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman said only one vehicle was damaged in the attack, which took place during rush hour in the volatile city of Peshawar.

“Only one car was hit. In that car there were U.S. citizen diplomats and a Pakistani driver,” Alberto Rodriguez was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. “There is no death among our personnel and there are no serious injuries.”

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

There has been a surge in violence in Pakistan since al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. commandos in the town of Abbottabad earlier this month.