Militant Suicide Attack Kills 13, Injures 60 in Peshawar, Pakistan

A suicide attack has occurred in Peshawar, Pakistan as militants have attacked an office of Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, on Friday. The militant suicide attack resulted in the death of 13 people and 60 others were injured as a result of the explosion. The New York Times is reporting that the attack was deliberate and the motive was clear since militants have targeted symbols of Pakistani military power recently.

The explosion occurred just a few hours before a scheduled meeting took place between U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones and high ranking Pakistani officials to discuss Afghanistan war strategy. President Barack Obama, who has insisted that the national security team gather specific information about involvement from Pakistan before he selects one of the four proposed war options, has reportedly informed Pakistani officials that they will be taken into confidence when it comes to Afghanistan war strategy.

Militant attacks have increased as of late in response to actions that have been taken by the Pakistani military in Waziristan, Afghanistan, according to The New York Times. Military expert Hasan Askari Rizvi elaborated on the strategy that he believes the militants have implemented, stating, "The underlying idea is to shake the people's confidence in the military's efforts. It's a kind of strategy [that's] well planned, well thought-out . . . to pressure the government through ordinary people."