Three People Killed, Scores Wounded In Lahore Bomb Blast

The site of the deadly blast in Lahore

Pakistani officials say a powerful bomb blast has killed three people and wounded 14 others in the eastern city of Lahore.

Police said those killed and wounded by the June 23 explosion in a residential area included civilians and police officers who were manning a checkpoint close to the house of the founder of Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Local journalist Tahir Jameel told RFE/RL by telephone that the blast damaged several houses in the area.

"Apparently what we see is that our law enforcement agencies are the target," provincial police chief Inam Ghani told reporters.

Some of the wounded, including children, were said to be in critical condition.

No one claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The outlawed LeT was blamed for the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in which more than 160 people, including Americans, were killed. A Pakistani court last year sent its leader, Hafiz Seed, to prison in two terrorism-financing cases. He has denied involvement in the Mumbai assaults.

A spokesman for a charity run by Saeed was quoted as saying he was in prison at the time of the attack.

Blasts in Pakistan's major cities have become increasingly rare in recent years following a massive crackdown on militant groups in urban areas along with a string of army offensives targeting their strongholds along the Afghan border.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal