At least 15 policemen were killed when a suicide bomber struck in the heart of the capital city Sunday as the first anniversary of the storming of the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafza by security forces was observed. More than 40 people were wounded in the explosion, who were shifted to the nearby Government Services Hospital and other medical facilities. Emergency was declared in Islamabad hospitals to meet the situation. The bombing took place a few yards from the Aabpara Police Station of Islamabad, which is located three furlongs from the Lal Masjid. The explosion was so powerful that body parts of several policemen flew in the air. Police cordoned off the area near the suicide bombing. Security agencies have taken special measures and additional police had been called to Islamabad from other cities to meet any law and order situation to be created by those observing the Lal Masjid-Jamia storming anniversary. The government did not allow the protesters to gather near the Lal Masjid. However, they held their meeting a few yards away from it. The bomber struck the policemen when the protesters were dispersing after holding the protest rally. Most of the participants of the gathering were students of religious seminaries. Islamabad police chief Gardezi told reporters that it was a suicide bombing. Police recovered the head of a person suspecting that it was that of the bomber. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said that based on witness accounts, the attacker was a man in his mid-30s who ran into the crowd of police. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack and ordered an inquiry into it. __
