Pakistan's 9/11: Huge Truck Bomb Strikes Marriott Hotel In Islamabad

A huge truck bomb exploded at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 150, the police said.

This according to Carlotta Gall, who reports from Pakistan and Afghanistan for the New York Times:

The blast, one of the worst acts of terrorism in Pakistan’s history, went off just a few hundred yards from the prime minister’s house, where all the leaders of government were dining after the president’s address to Parliament.

... an address which was reported as a broadside against both terrorism and US intervention ...

The toll was expected to grow because of reports that people had been trapped inside the six-story hotel, which has been a favorite meeting spot of both foreigners and well-connected Pakistanis in the heart of the capital. The building was quickly engulfed in flames and continued to burn for hours Saturday night.

The bomb left a vast crater, some 40 feet wide and 25 feet deep, at the security barrier to the hotel. Witnesses said security guards and their gate posts were buried under a mound of rubble. A line of cars across the street from the hotel were mangled and trees on the street were charred. Windows in buildings hundreds of yards away were shattered.

In addition to the speech mentioned above, this attack comes mere days after Pakistan's announcement that its military would fight back if American troops attacked on its soil again, and a few days before a scheduled meeting between the presidents of Pakistan and USA, at which the fight against terrorism is on the agenda -- or is the agenda!

Thus, the timing can hardly be coincidental.

And as you can see quite clearly from the photos posted here, this attack is orders of magnitude beyond the suicide terrorism which occurs in Pakistan on a regular basis. In other words, it appears to be state-sponsored. And you can probably guess which state.

You might think everybody would hate these terrorists. But you'd be wrong.

Some people like them.

For some people, terror is good for business.

The presidential candidates lost no time in pointing fingers -- even though they can have no idea who was behind this atrocity.

Barack Obama brings the required combination of rush to judgment and irrational hype:

Today’s attack demonstrates the grave and urgent threat that al Qaeda and its affiliates pose to the United States, to Pakistan, and to the security of all nations.

John McCain sings the same song, but in a different key:

While no organization has yet taken responsibility for this act, it is well known that Pakistan faces an enduring threat from violent Islamic extremism. We must work with the elected government of Pakistan to find those responsible, hold them accountable, and diminish their ability to threaten us and our allies in the future. It also serves as one more demonstration of the need for the next President to work closely with our partners and allies in order to counter the dangers posed by radical Islamic extremism.

So there you have it: the government was "elected" and the threat is "enduring"; that's all the pretext these guys need for another hundred years of war.

But what the heck? Your kids weren't planning to do anything different with their lives, were they?

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