Oct 15

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


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

By BABAR DOGAR and MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writers Babar Dogar And Munir Ahmad, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 48 mins ago

LAHORE, Pakistan – Teams of gunmen launched coordinated attacks on three law enforcement facilities in Pakistan's second-largest city of Lahore, and car bombs exploded in two cities near the Afghan border Thursday, killing 39 people in an escalating wave of anti-government violence.

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