ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Suicide bombs exploded almost simultaneously Saturday morning outside two military compounds in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing at least 16 people and raising fears of more violence as a key political rival of President Pervez Musharraf prepared to return from exile today.
One explosion detonated when the driver of a suicide car crashed into a bus carrying employees of the military Inter- Agency Intelligence service into a highly guarded urban compound, about 10 miles from this capital city.
Officials said 15 people in the bus were killed in the blast as well as the bomber, and many others were injured.
“I heard a big bang, and I saw the bus in flames,” said Wazir Gul Abassi, who owns a small hotel across the street from the intelligence compound. “The firetruck came 15 minutes later, and they tried to open the doors, but they failed. I don’t see how anyone inside survived.”
The second bomb exploded when a car tried to pass through a checkpoint into army headquarters, several miles from the other attack. The area was deserted and no one was killed, but two guards manning the post were injured, authorities said.
No group claimed responsibility for either attack, and officials said they did not know who was behind them.
