Twelve-year-old suicide bomber kills 31 in Pakistan

The suicide bombing in the town of Mardan, an area that had been relatively free from attack, undermines government claims that it has weakened the militant threat.
Witnesses said the boy detonated his explosives during morning exercises at an army recruiting centre. Dozens more cadets were wounded.
Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister, condemned the bombing.
“Such cowardly attacks cannot affect the morale of the security agencies and the resolve of the nation to eradicate terrorism,” he said.
It was the deadliest suicide bombing in Pakistan since a woman with a bomb strapped under her burqa killed 43 people at a United Nations food distribution point on Christmas Day in the tribal district of Bajaur.