Taliban claims responsibility for attack on Hamid Mir

Peshawar:  The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for a failed assassination attempt against a prominent Pakistani TV anchor. Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said Tuesday that the group targeted Geo TV’s Hamid Mir because he was “promoting secular forces.” [caption id=“attachment_537130” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Hamid Mir. Pic courtesy IBNLive.[/caption] A bomb was found underneath Mir’s car in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Monday and was defused by police. The Taliban threatened Mir and other journalists last month because the group was unhappy with their coverage of a schoolgirl activist shot by the militants. The Taliban shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head for criticizing the militants and promoting girls’ education. She is currently recovering in Britain. Ahsan, the Taliban spokesman, said they will target Mir again and other journalists opposed by the militants. AP