Obama condemns terror attack outside Pakistan aid center

President Obama condemned a Christmas Day suicide bombing outside a food center in Pakistan that killed at least 45 people.

A female suicide bomber donning a burqua threw hand grenades then detonated her explosive belt in a crowd of nearly 300 people waiting to collect food stamps at a World Food Program aid center in the town of Khar in the northwest part of the country. Authorities believe Saturday’s attack was the first carried out by a woman in Pakistan.

“I strongly condemn the outrageous terrorist attack in Khar, Pakistan,” Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii with his family, said in a statement. “Killing innocent civilians outside a World Food Program distribution point is an affront to the people of Pakistan, and to all humanity. The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in this difficult time, and will strongly support Pakistan’s efforts to ensure greater peace, security and justice for its people.”

The attack came amid an outbreak of violence between militants and government security forces in the tribal region of Mohmand to the south. The clashes killed 11 soldiers and 24 militants.

Through spokesman Azam Tariq, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Tribal regions in the country have been a focal point for U.S. counterterrorism efforts because they often serve as havens for militant groups fighting allied forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The U.S. government has long pressured Pakistan to sweep militant groups out of the tribal regions.

Last year on Christmas Day, the FBI thwarted an attempted bombing of a commercial flight in Detroit by Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.