Bombers kill 46 in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan - Bombings in two Pakistan cities killed 46 people yesterday, as militants struck back in the wake of an army offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the northwest near the Afghan border.

Two bombs, within 30 seconds of each other, ripped through a market bustling with women in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore about 9 p.m., igniting a massive fire that killed 36 people, authorities said. Hours earlier, a suicide bomber killed 10 people outside a courthouse in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

About 100 people were wounded in the attacks in Lahore, which were timed to take place when the Moon Market was as its busiest. Authorities initially said both bombs were believed to be remote-controlled, but they later said a suicide bomber was suspected to have carried out at least one of them.

The blasts left dozens of cars and shops ablaze late into the night.

Many victims were women and children, including a dead 2-year-old, a police officer said. Moon Market sells women's clothing, shoes and cosmetics.