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Published Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Bomber Kills 15 in Pakistan Capital
By SADAQAT JAN
Associated Press Writer
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By SADAQAT JAN
Associated Press Writer
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A Pakistani police officer looks into a car after a suicide attack, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 in Islamabad, Pakistan. A suicide bomber killed 12 people at a rally for Pakistan's suspended chief justice Tuesday, police said, ratcheting up tension in a country already reeling from a burst of violence by Islamic extremists. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A suicide bomber blew himself up Tuesday before a rally supporting Pakistan's chief justice against the president, killing 15 people in the latest attack in a spate of violence since the army stormed a mosque held by Islamic extremists.
The bloodshed has heightened tensions, with religious radicals calling for more revenge attacks on the government and troops moving into militant strongholds on the border with Afghanistan - a move welcomed by Washington as a help in the fight against terror groups.
On Wednesday, suspected militants continued their attacks against security forces in northwest Pakistan, exploding a roadside bomb near a military convoy, Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said. At least six people were wounded.
The bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday underlined the antagonism as various parties sought to place blame.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf condemned the blast as a "terrorist act," and officials said they were trying to determine responsibility. A security official said the bomber's severed head had been found.
Supporters of judge Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry accused the government of being behind the mayhem, while an opposition party thought to be considering joining a coalition government with Musharraf after year-end elections said the attack was aimed at its loyalists.
Chaudhry, whose fight against Musharraf's effort to oust him has fueled opposition to the president extending his rule, was a few miles away when the attacker struck about 8:30 p.m. outside the Islamabad district court building.
The judge arrived a short time later and police ushered him into a tent set up for a rally by lawyers who have led frequent protests against his suspension. He spoke briefly with the lawyers, who said he offered prayers for the victims, but canceled his speech and left.
Kamal Shah, a top Interior Ministry official, said the explosion killed 15 people and wounded 44. Opposition party activists, police officers and bystanders were believed to be among the victims.
The attacker blew himself up on a tree-lined street leading to the large tent just as hundreds of people converged on the area, which was also busy with evening shoppers. Pools of blood, pieces of flesh and scattered shoes lay on the asphalt next to a blood-spattered car.
"I was not far away from the stage set up for the chief justice when I heard a big bang," said Tahir Abbas, a lawyer at the rally.
Three security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, called it a suicide attack and said the severed head of the bomber had been recovered.
The bomb went off next to stalls set up by Pakistan's two main opposition parties, led by exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Shah said it was too early to "raise a finger at someone" in connection with the attack.
One of Chaudhry's attorneys, Munir Malik, accused Pakistani intelligence agencies. "This was an attack on the chief justice," he said.
However, Raja Pervez Ashraf, a leader of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said the attacker targeted her activists. "Most among the dead and injured are our supporters," Ashraf said.
Musharraf "condemned in the strongest terms the latest terrorist act which took place in Islamabad," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said.
The president ordered an immediate inquiry and appealed to the public "to remain calm, vigilant and assist the authorities in unearthing the culprits and bringing them to justice," the report said.
Some analysts and diplomats expect Bhutto to team with Musharraf in a power-sharing government after elections due late this year. She was the only opposition leader to voice strong support for the crackdown on the Red Mosque, which caused more than 100 deaths during eight days of fighting.
Taliban and al-Qaida leaders and other militants have called for attacks to avenge the mosque's defenders, and a suicide blast killed three soldiers in the volatile North Waziristan region Tuesday. Bombings and suicide attacks have killed more than 100 people in the northwest since the mosque battle.
Government officials continued their effort to salvage a 10-month-old peace accord in North Waziristan, a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaida militancy on the Afghan frontier where some leaders renounced the deal after the Red Mosque fighting.
Musharraf argues it is important to retain the accord, which saw the army scale back military operations in return for pledges from tribal elders to expel foreign fighters and prevent cross-border attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Washington pledged $750 million over five years to help develop the impoverished region and dry up support for Islamic extremism as part of the accord. But U.S. officials are pressing for more military strikes on extremists.
"Now, having dealt with the mosque, it's pretty much crossing a line and there's no going back," Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said Tuesday.
While a civilian "hearts and minds campaign" may offer the best long-term solution to combating militants in the region, "some elements have to be dealt with militarily," he said.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. and has said he will ask lawmakers for another five-year term this fall. But his domestic standing has been damaged by the fight over ousting the top judge.
The president suspended Chaudhry in March, accusing him of nepotism and other abuses of his post, charges the judge denies.
Musharraf insists he has no political motive, but opponents accuse him of trying to remove an independent-minded judge who might uphold legal challenges to the president's plan for extending his rule.
The Supreme Court, which has been hearing an appeal by Chaudhry, is expected to announce a verdict soon, perhaps by Friday.
---
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad and Stephen Graham in Islamabad and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
The bloodshed has heightened tensions, with religious radicals calling for more revenge attacks on the government and troops moving into militant strongholds on the border with Afghanistan - a move welcomed by Washington as a help in the fight against terror groups.
On Wednesday, suspected militants continued their attacks against security forces in northwest Pakistan, exploding a roadside bomb near a military convoy, Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said. At least six people were wounded.
The bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday underlined the antagonism as various parties sought to place blame.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf condemned the blast as a "terrorist act," and officials said they were trying to determine responsibility. A security official said the bomber's severed head had been found.
Supporters of judge Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry accused the government of being behind the mayhem, while an opposition party thought to be considering joining a coalition government with Musharraf after year-end elections said the attack was aimed at its loyalists.
Chaudhry, whose fight against Musharraf's effort to oust him has fueled opposition to the president extending his rule, was a few miles away when the attacker struck about 8:30 p.m. outside the Islamabad district court building.
The judge arrived a short time later and police ushered him into a tent set up for a rally by lawyers who have led frequent protests against his suspension. He spoke briefly with the lawyers, who said he offered prayers for the victims, but canceled his speech and left.
Kamal Shah, a top Interior Ministry official, said the explosion killed 15 people and wounded 44. Opposition party activists, police officers and bystanders were believed to be among the victims.
The attacker blew himself up on a tree-lined street leading to the large tent just as hundreds of people converged on the area, which was also busy with evening shoppers. Pools of blood, pieces of flesh and scattered shoes lay on the asphalt next to a blood-spattered car.
"I was not far away from the stage set up for the chief justice when I heard a big bang," said Tahir Abbas, a lawyer at the rally.
Three security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, called it a suicide attack and said the severed head of the bomber had been recovered.
The bomb went off next to stalls set up by Pakistan's two main opposition parties, led by exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Shah said it was too early to "raise a finger at someone" in connection with the attack.
One of Chaudhry's attorneys, Munir Malik, accused Pakistani intelligence agencies. "This was an attack on the chief justice," he said.
However, Raja Pervez Ashraf, a leader of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said the attacker targeted her activists. "Most among the dead and injured are our supporters," Ashraf said.
Musharraf "condemned in the strongest terms the latest terrorist act which took place in Islamabad," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said.
The president ordered an immediate inquiry and appealed to the public "to remain calm, vigilant and assist the authorities in unearthing the culprits and bringing them to justice," the report said.
Some analysts and diplomats expect Bhutto to team with Musharraf in a power-sharing government after elections due late this year. She was the only opposition leader to voice strong support for the crackdown on the Red Mosque, which caused more than 100 deaths during eight days of fighting.
Taliban and al-Qaida leaders and other militants have called for attacks to avenge the mosque's defenders, and a suicide blast killed three soldiers in the volatile North Waziristan region Tuesday. Bombings and suicide attacks have killed more than 100 people in the northwest since the mosque battle.
Government officials continued their effort to salvage a 10-month-old peace accord in North Waziristan, a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaida militancy on the Afghan frontier where some leaders renounced the deal after the Red Mosque fighting.
Musharraf argues it is important to retain the accord, which saw the army scale back military operations in return for pledges from tribal elders to expel foreign fighters and prevent cross-border attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Washington pledged $750 million over five years to help develop the impoverished region and dry up support for Islamic extremism as part of the accord. But U.S. officials are pressing for more military strikes on extremists.
"Now, having dealt with the mosque, it's pretty much crossing a line and there's no going back," Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said Tuesday.
While a civilian "hearts and minds campaign" may offer the best long-term solution to combating militants in the region, "some elements have to be dealt with militarily," he said.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. and has said he will ask lawmakers for another five-year term this fall. But his domestic standing has been damaged by the fight over ousting the top judge.
The president suspended Chaudhry in March, accusing him of nepotism and other abuses of his post, charges the judge denies.
Musharraf insists he has no political motive, but opponents accuse him of trying to remove an independent-minded judge who might uphold legal challenges to the president's plan for extending his rule.
The Supreme Court, which has been hearing an appeal by Chaudhry, is expected to announce a verdict soon, perhaps by Friday.
---
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad and Stephen Graham in Islamabad and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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