ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A suicide explosion that killed at least 46 people in Pakistan was the work of a teenage girl, an official said Sunday.
Zakir Hussain Afridi, the top official in Bajaur Agency, told CNN the remains of the bomber show it was a female age 16 to 18.
Azam Tariq, spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, saying its target was a pro-government group. But he denied the bomber was a woman.
"We have thousands of male suicide bombers ready who are keenly waiting for their turns. Then why would we use a woman, which is against the traditions of Islam?" he said.
The explosion hit near a U.N. World Food Program distribution point at a security checkpoint in Khar, said agency spokesman Amjad Jamal. More than 300 people were going through security screening to get food and other items at the time.
Afridi said the bomber, wearing a burqa, set off the bomb when she was stopped at a checkpoint.
Khar is the headquarters of Bajaur Agency, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
