Assasination Attempt On Former Pakistani Prime Minister
From NBC's Nightly News, there has been an attempted assassination on former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto in an apparent double suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan.
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More from MSNBC:
Two explosions went off Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her celebratory return to Pakistan after eight years in exile. Police said she was unhurt, but hospital officials and witnesses said at least 108 others were killed and more than 150 wounded.
There were conflicting reports on the number of people killed in the blasts. The Associated Press, citing hospital officials, reported 108 dead. Reuters, citing witnesses and a police official, reported 115 killed. There was no way to immediately reconcile these differences.
An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle. Neither Bhutto nor any of the others riding on the truck was hurt, police officer Hasib Beg said. Read more...
Yeah, this idiot was told there would be an attempt, and yet she just had to do the public thing. Now 130 people are dead. I'm not saying it's her fault, but you think she could have been a bit more cautious.
I guess politicians are pretty much the same where ever you go: selfish idiots.
Yeah like you couldn't see this coming...
Brave New World
Well, that didn't take long.
Our good friend and ally Mr. Musharraf surely had nothing to do with this, it was clearly al Qaeda.
I wonder if John Stewart ever feels the need to suddenly take a shower...?
i read musharaff's biography and wondered after that, why anyone would want to be the pm of pakistan. it's simply too dangerous.
Bhutto is a dead woman walking (they will get her eventually; i have no doubts about that)
how do you prevent something like this? you would need fully fledged state security, which musharaff was obviously unwilling to provide.
I wonder if the people of Karachi will end up feeling about Al Queada similar to the Kenyans after the Embassy Bombings. All factors taken in, this will not be good public relations for the Taliban and Al Queada. Good!
bpipes:
The kenyans ended up hating the americans after that embassy bombing because america did very little to help or assist the kenyans with their injuries (I' am 100% sure of this) - the anger was at the "rich" americans who have provided no financial support to the kenyans.
also, during that rescue attempt, the us marines arrogantly prevented kenyans from trying to help the victims!!! they were kept away from the embassy grounds. it was the israeli's who performed the best in terms of their rescue mission.
Why stoop to the blame game, Ms. Bhutto could easily have been killed. This country is our so-called ally. Pathetic!
I am drunkenly hoping that Laura Bush's long-dormant virago will awaken to go after this... hahahah after her musings on Burma she could find an epic opportunity here! Heaven help us all..
I pray for her and her people. You know the U.S. backed military dicktater just missed.
BaScOmBe @ 9:
Funny how we back one crazy dictator and call another our mortal enemy. If I were smart, I'd be more worried about the one that actually has nuclear weapons.
Just to clarify for future reference and Echelon readers, my statement "it was clearly al Qaeda" in post #4 lacked the necessary [/sarcasm] tag. My apologies.
It's Benny Aquino all over again. 65% says it's Mussharaf's people, 30% says it's hers (hence a deliberate failure), and 5% says it's the Taliban or Al Qaeda.
of course the wh will spin it as an iranian republican guard terrorist attack ;)
I read her wikipedia, and it says she supported the Taliban. Is this true? There doesnt seem to be much info out there about her.
Honestly I'm surprised she hasn't been killed yet.
Look, this just highlights, once again the failings of the American government and the Bush administration. OBL has made it painfully clear that he intends to stoke an uprising in Pakistan. He and his ilk were clearly behind this. And need I remind you that Pakistan is a nuclear power? What happens in the case of a violent coup there? WW III, I'm afraid to say.
After 9/11, the plan-of-action for any competent US President was clear:
1. BEFRIEND Saddham Hussein. Use him as a wedge against Iran and Syria.
2. Completely overtake Afghanistan. PERMIT the Opium trade, yet buy the opium and premium prices for medicinal use in the West, therby cutting out the black market entirely, whilst supporting the locals' ability to survive and winning over their hearts and minds.
3. Call Pakistan's bluff. In an alliance with India, (another nuclear power) completely eradicate all the Wahabi and Taliban influence in Pakistan. Bring back Bhutto and democracy to Pakistan, at the point of a gun if necessary.
Instead, Bush, who is a nut just like OBL, pursued a game plan that served only his self interest and was completely irrelevant, if not counter, to what was needed to actually win the "war on terror".
a couple more points.
4. OBL's head on a platter, not Saddham's.
5. Massive initiatives in the US and Europe to end depedence on middle-east oil.
.
And the USA being the Nanny State that we are, others call it a Police State, will step in to enforce that martial law. Why not, now that Blackwell is being kicked out of Iraq for war crimes. It's either that or Blackwell comes back home. NO?
.
Dear Nancy,
Support America!
GO SHOPPING ...
And buy a table !
XXOO
America
.
And the USA being the Nanny State that we are, others call it a Police State, will step in to enforce that martial law. Why not, now that Blackwell is being kicked out of Iraq for war crimes. It's either that or Blackwell comes back home. NO?
Dear Nancy Pelosi,
Support America!
GO SHOPPING...
And buy a table !
.
From REALNEWS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgQnunShZKQ
A Tripartite government orchestrated by the USA.
.
America spends more time analyzing a Terrell Owens touchdown reception than the intricate relationships of the middle east and Asia.
Now who's pitching for Cleveland tomorrow?
So there are REAL assassination attempts.. in fear of joining the US and hunting the number one terrorist.... and we're in Iraq doing "what"? Okay... this is why i hate politics of the US.
MAX @ # 16 & # 17
Points 1 , 2 , 4 & 5 are OK
Point # 3- The US does not have a good record in imposing democracy at the point of a gun.
SCHRODINGER”S CAT:
Agreed. And the idea of democracy at the point of a gun doesn't even make sense, admittedly. But the cancer which threatens to spread wasn't in Iraq. It was and IS in Pakistan. And if the cancer needs to be cut out, then...
just heard on npr that the government did not provide her with jammers which would have prevented the bombs from going off (musharaff has them)
Fix the spelling in the title: assassination
I'm a bit tired of hype-mongering newschannels attributing every terrorist attack under the sun to "supporters of Al Quaida": in itself, in reality, this phrase bears little weight (think "Al Quaida fan club" or "Al Quaida wannabe") but in the mind of the (often ignorant) viewer, it seems a direct link to the aforementioned organisation - a link that, in most cases, does not exist even in the slightest.
Any excuse to feed the drum-beat for war.
I loved how on Fox's prime time lead with Ellen Degeneres' dog and not this.
and yet we wonder why Americans know shit about foreign policy
Gary @ 27:
As sad as that is...if we Americans really WANTED to know about what was really goin on, they'd tune outs MSM, and get their news elsewhere with a little effort..., but the majority doesn't seem to give a flying fuck about anything but celebrities and their drug habits, who they're fucking, etc. etc. etc....disgusting!!!! I can't watch mainstream media anymore...it infuriates me to no end how so full of shit the talking heads are...and the brain dead Americans swallow that garbage as truth...that being said...I am somewhat hopeful, that the free thinkers in this country are starting to stand up and make themselves heard...I still think this country can save itself..if enough people stand up as one and remind these politicians just who it is they really work for...or am I just dreaming...
I'm disgusted by the armchair sarcasm and the ghoulish voyerism of some of the comments on this board. Political criticism is one thing, callous cynisms from the comfort of your keyboard is quite another.
This is extremely disturbing no matter who attempted it. Pakistan is becoming increasingly destabalized and the stakes are extremely high - nuclear in fact. There are any number of nuts who can get their hands on the bomb and direct it at India, Afghanistan, Europe, etc. This is bad anyway you look at it.
I don't think you guys know the history of Ms. Bhuto very well. Go ask some pakistani's of the lower classes.
She was a ganster, she wasn't in exiled for no reason. She stole PLENTY of MONEY and didn't do much for womens rights in comparison to Mr. M, so she's seriously lacking "morals". Her brother was worst and they had gun battles in the streets for power. What did she do about tribal hudood punishments that have no basis in Islam at all? NOTHING what did she do about the riba (interest) crazy bank hussles in the country? Not a dang thang! She did more hooking up for the elite class than even Mr. M and I don't like that puppet either. She doesn't bring democracy people. Don't be fooled by people who say the hate her because she is a woman. No they hate her because she is just as bad if not worst.
Al Queda = CIA.
I'm not so certain that it was an assassination attempt, but perhaps a staged event, with her knowledge, so that she's perceived as a martyr. What better way is there for someone to further a greedy agenda and to obtain greater support?
Just askin'.............
sherri
so, who are these 200,000 people who lined up to greet her?
I try and read the english version/pakistani papers online (there's no reason americans shouldn't know about foreign policy if they have access to the internet) everything is online.
Tommy Paine is right, "Al Qaeda" = C.I.A. They are "Al CIA-duh".
But this assassination attempt was transparently done by the U.S. ally Musharraf and his intel service the I.S.I. I suspected as much when it happened, as the first question asked should be "Who benefits?" whether you are talking about 9/11 or the London Bombings or this attempt on Bhutto's life. Well in this case who benefits is Musharraf. Odd how the simple "Who benefits?" test is remarkably absent in mainstream American assessing of blame, isn't it? Bhutto herself even said she blames the Pakistani intelligence agency for it. Her husband blames them also. Many of her supporters blame them also. What confirmed it for me was the scripted way "terrorism expert" Peter Bergen answered Anderson Cooper's question about "who could be behind this?". First he started in about "Al CIAduh", then the Taliban, then finished by saying "Well, Pakistan is awash in Islamic militants of various stripes". The bastard never once even mentioned the possibility of it being the Pakistani intelligence at Musharraf's behest. Didn't even mention it. So I said "Thank you Peter Bergen for confirming who was behind it". If in the aftermath of something like that the talking heads seem to be deliberately skirting around glaring possibilities in favor of a pre-determined patsy, that is a pretty good indication who is to blame: The one they refuse to mention.
Something else to think about that has implications beyond this event is the nature of suicide bombings and imitation suicide bombings. As it were I think this was two parked, unoccupied cars that exploded but here's something to think about whenever you hear of a "suicide car bombing" in Iraq or Afghanistan. For several years now there has been available on the civilian market a device that can be installed in a regular automobile to allow it to be completely remote controlled from a distance. It is called the AX2550 and it is made by Roboteq.
http://www.roboteq.com/rcauto.html
Granted, some of the suicide car bombings are genuine, most likely those that are aimed at killing U.S. troops and Iraqi puppet troops and puppet police, but it would be exceedingly difficult to find people every day willing to kill themselves to simply blow up a marketplace full of civilians. It would be inconceivable that such a person would think they would end up anywhere but in Hell for doing that; that isn't legitimate resistance against an occupier but mass murder of civilians, which every time that is done it provides a huge amount of "ammunition" to people who criticize the resistance, it generates enormous bad P.R. for them and they get nothing out of killing civilians but the occupier DOES benefit greatly from it for the reasons mentioned: it tars the genuine resistance as being mass murderers of civilians and as uncaring regarding Iraqi lives as the hated occupier themselves.
So which makes more sense? That the genuine Iraqi resistance every day is able to find people willing to send themselves to Hell by blowing up civilians, which does nothing but make themselves look atrocious?? Or that the "suicide car bombs" targeting marketplaces and schools etc. are not the work of the Iraqi resistance at all but instead the occupier to discredit the genuine resistance? Instead of somebody trying every day to recruit or coerce people into becoming suicide bombers to drive a bomb car into a marketplace, wouldn't it be easier for the occupier (probably C.I.A.) to 1.install an AX2550 device in an ordinary car; 2.put a mannequin in the driver's seat; 3.rig the car up with explosives, able to be detonated from a distance; and 4.have a guy in the passenger side of a chase car behind it with the remote control box, "driving" the car bomb and when it gets to where they want it, they detonate it and leave.
Much more sensible than trying to sabotage your own resistance group by giving the occupier great propaganda to use every day with blowing up civilians; and much easier than trying to find people willing to send themself to Hell over it. Think about that the next time you hear the wailing "news" anchors telling you of another "suicide car bombing" in Iraq or Afghanistan that killed 20 civilians in a marketplace.
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