Oct. 15

Gunmen, bombs hit 5 sites in Pakistan, 39 die
AP

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Armed soldiers take their positions outside Pakistan's army headquarters in Rawalpindi Reuters – Armed soldiers outside Pakistan's army headquarters in Rawalpindi, October 11, 2009. REUTERS/Faisal …

* Pakistan Slideshow:Pakistan
* Blast rocks Pakistan's Peshawar Play Video Video:Blast rocks Pakistan's Peshawar Reuters
* Deadly attacks on Pakistan police Play Video Video:Deadly attacks on Pakistan police Reuters

By BABAR DOGAR and MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writers Babar Dogar And Munir Ahmad, Associated Press Writers – 24 mins ago

LAHORE, Pakistan – Teams of gunmen launched coordinated attacks on three law enforcement facilities in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore and car bombs hit two other cities Thursday, killing a total of 39 people in an escalating wave of anti-government violence.

The bloodshed, aimed at scuttling a planned offensive into the Taliban heartland near the Afghan border, highlights the Islamist militants' ability to carry out sophisticated strikes on heavily fortified facilities and exposes the failure of the intelligence agencies to adequately infiltrate the extremist cells.