The deputy commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force currently serving in Sudan has been killed in Pakistan. Brigadier General Moinuddin Ahmed was on leave in the Pakistani capital Islamabad when unknown gunmen riddled his jeep with bullets. Eyewitnesses say the attackers approached their target on a motorbike.

It is still unclear whether the attack, in which at least one other soldier was injured, was related to the general’s activities in Sudan, or to the current unrest in Pakistan.

In the last few weeks, Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorist attacks. These are thought to be linked to the Pakistani army’s current large-scale offensive against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in South Waziristan, a region of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan.

Photo by the BBC