The Long War Journal: Suicide bomber kills 34 Pakistanis in Rawalpindi
Written by Bill Roggio on November 2, 2009 7:35 AM to The Long War Journal
Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/11/suicide_bomber_kills_17.php
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the military garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing 34 Pakistanis and wounding scores more. In Lahore, two suicide bombers killed one policeman at a checkpoint.
The suicide bomber rode a motorcycle laden with explosives into the middle of a high security district of the city. "Major hotels, including the Pearl Continental, as well as other important government and army installations are located in the area where the blast occurred," Dawn reported.
The blast occurred near a bank where people were lining up to cash checks, Geo News reported. Military personnel are among those killed. More than 45 people have been wounded during the attack.
In Lahore a pair of suicide bombers killed one policeman and wounded 25 security officers and civilians after detonating their vests at a security checkpoint. The pair of bombers were attempting to enter the city and detonated their vests after being stopped by police.
The blasts are the latest in the Taliban's terror offensive, which began on Oct. 5. The Taliban have launched suicide attacks and terror assaults in Pakistan's major cities and throughout the northwest.
The Taliban and allied jihadi groups have launched military assaults against the Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and police centers in Lahore. Suicide bombers have struck in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Kohat, Swat, and Shangla.
The last major attack took place in Peshawar on Oct. 28, when a car bomb detonated in a bazaar in Peshawar. More than 120 people were killed in the blast. The Taliban disowned the attack and blamed Blackwater, the US contracting firm now known as Xe, and Pakistani intelligence agencies.
The Taliban have promised to continue the attacks as long as the military remains on the offensive in Pakistanis northwest. The Army has surrounded two key towns in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan. The military said Makeen and Sararogha have been cordoned, while the town of Kanigoram is being cleared.
The government has offered $600,000 cash rewards for information leading to the death or capture of Taliban commanders Hakeemullah Mehsud, Waliur Rehman, and Qari Hussain Mehsud. Eleven other commanders have $240,000 bounties on their heads.
Major attacks in Pakistan since Oct. 5:
Nov. 2, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed 34 Pakistanis and wounded scores more in an attack in Rawalpindi.
Nov. 2, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers killed one policeman and wounded 25 security officers and civilians after detonating their vests at a security checkpoint.
Oct. 28, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed 119 Pakistanis and wounded hundreds more in an attack on a bazaar in Peshawar.
Oct. 27, 2009: A brigadier general who served as the director of defense services guards at the Army General Headquarters escaped an assassination attempt in Islamabad.
Oct. 23, 2009: The Taliban detonated an anti-tank mine and hit a bus transporting a wedding party in Mohmand. The explosion killed 15 of the passengers and wounded six more.
Oct. 23, 2009: The Taliban detonated a car bomb outside a popular restaurant in the residential Hayatabad area in Peshawar. The attack wounded 13 civilians; nine are said to be in critical condition.
Oct. 23, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people during an attack at a security checkpoint near the Kamra Air Weapon Complex in the district of Attock in Punjab province.
Oct. 21, 2009: The Taliban assassinated a brigadier general and his driver during an ambush in Islamabad.
Oct. 20, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers detonated their vests at Islamabad's International Islamic University, killing five.
Oct. 16, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers, including a female, attacked a police station and a building housing an intelligence service in Peshawar, killing 11.
Oct. 15, 2009: Terrorist assault teams attacked the Federal Investigation Agency building, the Manawan police training centre, and the Elite Force Headquarters in Lahore. Twenty-six people, including nine terrorists and 12 policemen, were killed.
Oct. 15, 2009: A suicide bomber rammed a car into a police station in Kohat, killing 11 people, including policemen and children.
Oct. 12, 2009: A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives as a military convoy passed through a checkpoint in a market in Alpuri in Shangla. The attack killed 41 people, including six security personnel.
Oct. 10, 2009: An assault team attacked the Army General Headquarters and took 42 security personnel captive. Eleven soldiers were killed, including a brigadier general and a lieutenant colonel, along with nine members of the assault team; and 39 hostages were freed.
Oct. 9, 2009: A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives in a bazaar in Peshawar, killing 49 civilians.
Oct. 5, 2009: A suicide bomber entered the World Food Program office in Islamabad and detonated his vest, killing five UN workers, including an Iraqi.