Hydrablog

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/world/asia/03pstan.html
November 3, 2009
Bomb Rips Market Near Pakistan Headquarters
By SALMAN MASOOD [Pakistan] [al Qaeda] [Pakistan as central hub in AfPak wheel] [AfPak] [Pakistan’s robust role in transnational war, villany, complications?] [followup] [more on Pakistan’s planned offensive] [news from the frontlines of Pakistan military’s offensive in NWFP] [use psci469-1] [followup] [*]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated explosives Monday morning in a busy commercial district in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, killing at least 30 people and wounding dozens more, security and rescue officials said.
The attack apparently took aim at military personnel, and many of the victims appeared to be soldiers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the mid-morning attack, which occurred a few hundred yards from the headquarters of the Pakistani Army. [sounds like TeT] [*] The bomber attacked outside a branch office of the National Bank of Pakistan, where soldiers and civilians had gathered to collect their monthly salaries and pension payments.
“I was going inside the bank, and all of a sudden there was a blast,” Muhammad Ijaz, a soldier who was slightly wounded, told a local television station.
Military, government and intelligence buildings have repeatedly been targets in recent months, and attacks intensified after the start of a military operation against militants in the northwestern tribal region of South Waziristan, the stronghold of Taliban.
Three weeks ago in Rawalpindi, nine gunmen wearing army uniforms broke into the military headquarters complex and held dozens hostage for 20 hours. A raid by commandos ended the siege, but 16 people were killed, including 8 of the attackers, the military said.
The surviving militant has been identified as Muhammad Aqeel, whom officials believe to be a member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. [*] [LeJ also noted in offensive]
The attack on the headquarters was a severe blow to military security and intelligence. Along with the subsequent drive-by assassination of a brigadier and his driver in Islamabad, the attacks demonstrated both the militants’ growing reach and a worrisome new flexibility in their tactics.
Also Monday, news agencies reported that the United Nations suspended development projects in Pakistan’s tribal areas and the North-West Frontier Province. [NWFP] [*]
In a statement, the United Nations said its work in the restive regions would focus on emergency assistance and humanitarian relief. The United Nations and affiliated agencies have helped with tents, medicine, water and food aid for internally displaced Pakistanis fleeing the fighting between the Pakistani military and Islamist militants, first in the Swat Valley and more recently in South Waziristan.
“We have had 11 of our colleagues killed because of the security situation,” said a spokeswoman, Amena Kamaal, quoted by The Associated Press. “All of the decisions are being made in light of that.”
A suicide bomber killed five people in an attack Oct. 5 on the Islamabad headquarters of the World Food Program, a major United Nations agency.
Also on Monday, the government used newspaper advertisements to announce cash bounties of more than $600,000 for the capture of Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban; a senior aide, Wali-ur-Rehman; and a cousin, Qari Hussain Mehsud.
A front-page advertisement by the government in The News, the leading English-language daily, carried photos of the top Taliban commanders, along with bounties for each.
“People should help the Pakistani government to bring them to justice,” the advertisement said. It added that militants were responsible for maligning Pakistan and Islam throughout the world.
Mark McDonald contributed from Hong Kong.
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company