Benazir Bhutto Assassinated!
Benazir Bhutto arriving at rally in Rawalpindi just prior to her assassination.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide bombing that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, a party aide and a military official said.
"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.
A senior military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, confirmed that Bhutto had died.
A Reuters witness at the scene said he heard two shots moments before the blast.
"As party leaders, including Bhutto, started coming out a man tried to go close to them and then he fired some shots and blew himself up," said Yaseen, a police officer, at the scene.
Police said about 15 people had been killed in the blast.
-Bangladesh Independent
-CBC
-BBC
Also ... a very good Pakistani political blogsite: Pakistani Spectator
It didn't take long for Rudy Giuliani to spin this in his favor. He's running around now talking tough on terror once again.
The NIE report that difused America's March to War against Iran took the wind out of his sails.
But Bhutto's assasination has him at full steam.
Giuliani's solution: Send More Troops to Afghanistan!
Posted by PoliShifter | 11:45 am, December 27, 2007
Unbelievable! I just listened to a commentator on CNN who was certain that it was the Taleban and another who said it was likely Al Qaeda.
The stupidity will continue all day.
Posted by leftdog | 12:02 pm, December 27, 2007
It was either Mushareff, AQ, the Taliban or a Pakistani Islamist group.
AQ and the Taliban have sent bombers against her before.
Posted by Philltaj2 | 1:36 pm, December 27, 2007
philtaj,
Actually, probably the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence service - Musharif used to head them and if you read "Ghost Wars" by Steve Coll, they are probably the ones that created the Taliban and have supported AQ and other Islamist groups. They were closely aligned with General Zia Ul Huq, the Pakistani dictator during the 80's who killed Bhutto's father (and who himself died in a mysterious plane crash).
A country with nukes spiraling into civil war..fantastic.
Posted by Mike | 10:21 pm, December 27, 2007