Webloggin » Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Pakistan

REACTION
President Bush:

“The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy. Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice.”
[~snip]
“she refused to allow assassins to dictate the course of her country.”
[~snip]
“We stand with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the forces of terror and extremism. We urge them to honor Benazir Bhutto’s memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life,” Bush said.

Hillary Clinton capitalized on the killing by peddling the lie that she has some sort of experience in government:

At a high school appearance on Thursday, Clinton said she had come to know Bhutto during the former prime minister’s years in office and her time in exile and was “profoundly saddened and outraged” by the assassination.

In a world of such violence and threats, Clinton said, “it certainly raises the stakes high for what we expect from our next president. I know from a lifetime of working to make change.”

Giuliani and the rest of the candidates also used the incident to warn about terror:

Giuliani said Thursday the assassination of Bhutto underscored a need for the U.S. to increase its efforts to combat terrorism.

“Her murderers must be brought to justice, and Pakistan must continue the path back to democracy and the rule of law,” Giuliani said in a statement. “Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere — whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi — is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists’ war on us.”

McCain, in a statement, said the death of Bhutto “underscores yet again the grave dangers we face in the world today and particularly in countries like Pakistan, where the forces of moderation are arrayed in a fierce battle against those who embrace violent Islamic extremism.

“Given Pakistan’s strategic location, the international terrorist groups that operate from its soil, and its nuclear arsenal, the future of that country has deep implications for the security of the United States and its allies. America must stand on the right side of this ongoing struggle,” he said, noting that he has made numerous visits to Pakistan.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney focused on the threat of “global, violent radical jihadism.”

“This type of loss of life points out again the need for our nation and other civilized nations of the West and Muslim world to come together to support moderate Islamic leaders and moderate Islamic people to help them in their effort to reject the violence and the extreme,” Romney told reporters after his first campaign event in the northeastern state of New Hampshire. “The world is very much at risk by virtue of these radical, violent extremists and we must come together, in great haste and great earnestness, to help overcome the threat of the spread of radical, violent jihad.”

FLASHBACK: Washington Post apologists provide cover for Al Qaeda in earlier attempt to kill Bhutto last October.

Pakistani officials have been quick to implicate the Taliban and al Qaeda in yesterday’s assassination attempt against former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. But before anyone gives too much credence to such reports, remember: This is Pakistan. And Pakistan harbors many terrorist groups of its very own.

Yes, both the Taliban and al Qaeda are active in Pakistan, especially where the country drifts into anarchy on its border with Afghanistan. And they could well be involved in this attack.

The larger issue, however, is Pakistan’s inability (or unwillingness) to take on terrorists — militarily and otherwise — within its borders. On that score, yesterday’s attack could give President Pervez Musharraf the political cover he needs to finally do something about Pakistan’s terrorist problem. (WaPo - Al Qaeda Attacks Bhutto? Not So Fast)

Of course William M. Arkin at WaPo was pointing out the obvious in noting that there are many terrorist groups in Pakistan but why discount al-Qaeda so quickly back in October? This is how the MSM operates. Remember Bhutto had been a huge critic of al-Qaeda.

Fast Forward - today - al Qaeda takes credit for assassination.

Karachi, 27 Dec. (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda terrorist network has claimed responsibility for the death on Thursday of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahadeen,” Al-Qaeda’s commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location, speaking in faltering English. Al-Yazid is the main al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan.

It is believed that the decision to kill Bhutto, who is the leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was made by al-Qaeda No. 2, the Egyptian doctor, Ayman al-Zawahiri in October.

Death squads were allegedly constituted for the mission and ultimately one cell comprising a defunct Lashkar-i-Jhangvi’s Punjabi volunteer succeeded in killing Bhutto.

Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally on Thursday in the garrison town of Rawalpindi when the bomb went off.

Update: As expected pro-Musharraf people are being blamed for the attack and killing by opposition party members. Russia released a statement saying that this will certainly cause a “wave of terrorism”.

Russia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Losyukov, predicted a “wave of terrorism” would result.

“An act of terror is a bad sign,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, Russia’s most senior Asia diplomat, told Itar-Tass news agency. “We hereby offer our condolences. This will for certain trigger a wave of terrorism.”

Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto, 54, as she was leaving the rally in a park before blowing himself up.

“The man first fired at Bhutto’s vehicle,” said a police officer, Mohammad Shahid. “She ducked and then he blew himself up.”

At least 16 people were killed in the attack, which occurred on the same day gunmen killed four supporters of another former Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, in Islamabad, police said.

Sharif was several kilometres from the shooting and was on his way to Rawalpindi after attending a rally. He blamed supporters of the pro-Musharraf party for the violence, but a spokesman for the party denied that its workers were involved.

The shooting took place near an office of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q).

“Somebody from inside the election office opened fire,” said a senior police official, Shahid Nadeem Baloch.

“But I can’t say they were Q people,” he said, referring to the pro-Musharraf party. It’s an election office and lots of people sit there during election time.”

A security official who declined to be identified said the shooting erupted after Sharif supporters tried to hang a banner near the office. Four people were killed, police said.

A spokesman for the pro-Musharraf party dismissed suggestions his workers were responsible as a “baseless allegation”. “None of our workers were involved. We strongly condemn this incident and we hope the law will take its course and the culprits are duly punished,” said the spokesman, Tariq Azim Khan.

Two vehicles were abandoned at the scene with bullet holes.

After the shooting, police and party guards beefed up security around Sharif, who got into a bullet-proof vehicle.

“This all happened at the behest of the Government,” Sharif told supporters on the outskirts of Rawalpindi. “They are 100 per cent responsible, but we are not scared of such actions.”

Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed Thursday in shooting that killed 12 others at a political rally. The shooter struck Bhutto in the head and the neck before blowing himself up along with Bhutto and 12 others. Doctors that confirmed the death are already calling Bhutto a martyr.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, aides said.

“The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred,” Bhutto’s lawyer Babar Awan said.

A party security adviser said Bhutto was shot in neck and chest as she got into her vehicle to leave the rally in Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad. A gunman then blew himself up.

“At 6:16 p.m. she expired,” said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto’s party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital where she was taken after the attack.

Her supporters at the hospital began chanting “Dog, Musharraf, dog,” referring to Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf. - SRC AP News

As expected the shooting is already causing more political unrest as she was on a campaign stop for January’s planned elections for provincial parliament and a new Prime Minister.

A man with a PPP flag tied around his head could be seen beating his chest, the agency adds.

An interior ministry spokesman, Javed Cheema, was quoted as saying by AFP that she may have been killed by pellets packed into the suicide bomber’s vest.

However, AP quoted a PPP security adviser as saying she was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her vehicle, before the gunman blew himself up. (BBC News)

Ironically Bhutto had condemned Islamic terrorism after meeting with President Karzai of Pakistan on Thursday afternoon.

Before the rally, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Bhutto had met with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the end of his two-day visit here.

“We too believe that it is essential for both of our countries, and indeed the larger Muslim world, to work to protect the interest of Islamic civilization by eliminating extremism and terrorism,” she said after their meeting.

Updates to follow.