ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 1, 2007

Suicide Blast Kills 15 In Pakistan

Government Official Tells CBS News "Hundreds" Of Bombers Poised To Strike Ahead Of Election

    • Pakistani police officers examine the site of a suicide bombing in Bannu, about 110 miles south of Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Oct. 1, 2007.

      Pakistani police officers examine the site of a suicide bombing in Bannu, about 110 miles south of Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Oct. 1, 2007.  (AP Photo/Ijaz Muhammad)

    • An injured victim of a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Bannu, about 110 miles south of Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Oct. 1, 2007.

      An injured victim of a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Bannu, about 110 miles south of Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Oct. 1, 2007.  (AP Photo/Ijaz Muhammad)

    Previous slide Next slide
  • Fast Facts Pakistan

    Learn about the people, economy and history.

  • Photo Essay Pakistan Attacks

    Violence in Pakistan is spreading, with fresh attacks leaving dozens dead.

(CBS)  By CBS News' Farhan Bokhari, reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan.


A suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in northwest Pakistan Monday, including four police officers, as a government minister with close ties to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf warned of the danger of suicide bombers targeting politicians in the run up to national parliamentary elections, due by January.

Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan's Minister for Railways, became the first member of Musharraf's cabinet to confirm previous claims from intelligence officials who warned, on background, of the danger of suicide attacks during the election. Ahmed spoke to CBS News Monday in an exclusive telephone interview.

His comments coincided with the latest suicide attack to hit the south Asian country.

The bomber struck in Bannu, a major town in the volatile Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) bordering Afghanistan. According to eyewitness accounts, the suicide bomber was riding in a rickshaw when he blew himself up in a busy part of town known as Afsar chowk, killing at least fifteen people including four policemen. At least twenty people were injured.

"There are, of course, intelligence reports which tell us that hundreds of suicide bombers are waiting in the pipeline to strike during the election campaign" the Pakistani minister told CBS News.

Ahmed said those Islamic clergymen who issued a "fatwa" (religious decree) opposing suicide attacks "were also among the potential targets. These people (suicide bombers) will not tolerate anyone opposing them" he added.

The latest attack follows a number of suicide and small arms attacks to hit Pakistan since July, when Musharraf ordered military commandoes to storm a pro-Taliban mosque and religious school in the centre of Islamabad, the country's capital.

Before the premises were, clerics at the Red Mosque and the adjoining Islamic women's seminary known as "jamia-e-hifza" had waged a highly provocative anti-government campaign, frequently calling for the imposition of Taliban-style Islamic law in the country.

But Pakistan already faced a growing number of suicide attacks even before the siege on the mosque in July. Such attacks are widely believed to have been carried out by al Qaeda and Taliban members who have established camps in the rugged tribal region of Pakistan, along the Afghan border.

Volunteers are trained at the camps to wage armed resistance against U.S. and other Western forces across the border in Afghanistan, senior Western diplomats believe. The volunteers are also trained to manufacture explosive devices and explosive belts used for suicide attacks, according to senior Pakistani intelligence officials.

Ahmed said that during the election campaign suicide bombers were likely to target Pakistan's largest eight cities, with populations of two million or more. "The election campaigns in these eight cities will live with the danger of suicide attacks. These cities are the prime targets," he told CBS News.

As many as 90,000 Pakistani troops were deployed to the tribal region, primarily to curb the activities of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Pakistan has been a key U.S. ally in President Bush's war on terror, receiving up to $10 billion in direct and indirect assistance from Washington since Musharraf turned his back on the Taliban after the Sept. 11 attacks.

However, the Pakistani military's ability to operate freely and effectively in the tribal area has been increasingly questioned after as many as 250 regular and paramilitary soldiers were taken captive by Taliban militants in the region last month, reportedly without putting up a fight.



Farhan Bokhari has been covering southeast Asia for several large European news organizations for 16 years. Based in Islamabad, his focus is security issues, in particular al Qaeda and the regional aspects of the global fight against terrorism.

© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Share:
  • Share
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Mixx
Add a Comment See all 45 Comments
by telltruth99 October 2, 2007 12:48 AM EDT
*** PAID OFF POLITICANS - PROOF ***

Who Is Paying For Your Vote To Keep Control Of You And To Keep This War Going? Remember The Bankers Hold The Stock In Companies That Are Getting Billions In War Contracts, And The President Keeps Their Profit Going!

Obama''s Contributers: bankers / Special interest!
http://tinyurl.com/2nd4f8

Hillary Clinton''s Contributers Lawyers / RealEstate:
http://tinyurl.com/2ontpq

Rudy GIULIANI Contributors: Bankers / Hedge Funds!
http://tinyurl.com/2m2c4n

Ron Pauls Money Is From the People! We have someone who is NOT Paid Off By Special Interest or Bankers Money!!!
http://tinyurl.com/2q8vr3

*********************************
If you ever want this War to End Vote Ron Paul 2008, No OneElse Is Going To End It!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues
*********************************
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 7:16 PM EDT
Lars please...to be honst, I''m not going to check out those sites that you posted. I don''t care what the creators of those sites think. I want to know what you think. Along with everyone else here. And for heaven''s sake, speak calmly and rationally.
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 7:11 PM EDT
Posted by hungry1968 at 03:51 PM : Oct 01, 2007

The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini
http://www.amazon.com/Nazi-Connection-Islamic-Terrorism-al-Husseini/dp/0595289444
http://www.tellchildrenthetruth.com/gallery/index.htm
http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/medigest/may00/arabnazi.html
http://www.themiddleeastnow.com/musnazi.html
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 7:05 PM EDT
you better tell the ones that exist to join the fight against fascist nazi terrorislam,,, just like some germans joined the fight against fascist nazi germany,,,

ISLAM: YES, MODERATE MOSLEMS EXIST BUT YOU CAN COUNT THEIR NUMBERS ON YOUR FINGERS & TOES
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152817752&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

HASSAN EXPOSES THE MYTH OF MODERATE ISLAM

The Network

Hassan Butt Tells Bob Simon Killing In The Name Of Islam Is A "Cancer"

"The position of moderate Muslims is that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. Do you buy that?" Simon asks.

"No, absolutely not. By completely being in denial about it''''s like an alcoholic basically. Unless an alcoholic acknowledges that he has a problem with alcohol, he''''s never gonna be able to go forward," Butt argues. "And as long as we, as Muslims, do not acknowledge that there is a violent streak in Islam, unless we acknowledge that, then we are gonna always lose the battle to the militants, by being in complete denial about it."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/23/60minutes/main2602308_page3.shtml
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 7:02 PM EDT
Posted by LadyJaneG at 03:47 PM : Oct 01, 2007

Person responsible for interpreting Muslim law and was held in high esteem by the population. The Mufti''s opinion is expressed in a document called a fetwa.
www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp

an expert in the Shari''ah who gives legal judgments called fatwas. Usually one mufti in a given geographic area is called the Grand Mufti.
faculty.juniata.edu/tuten/islamic/glossary.html

Muslim Jurist; expounder or doctor of Islamic
islam.itl.org.uk/ahmadi/glossary.html

the"Mufti" of Jerusalem was a religious leader of the Muslims in Palestine during WWII. During the course of his rule over Arab Muslims, he met with Hitler and Himmler and continued an alliance in their plan for a final solution in Palestine. His nephew was Yassar Arafat. (See The Mufti, The Nazis & Jerusalem.
www.shoaheducation.com/definitions.html

a jurist who interprets Muslim religious law
civilian dress worn by a person who is entitled to wear a military uniform
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

A Mufti (Arabic: %u0645%u0641%u062A%u0649) is an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law (Sharia), capable of issuing fataawa (plural of "fatwa").
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mufti
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:59 PM EDT
Thank you for explaining, Hungry. I don''t thin I thanked you in my last post. Sorry! :)
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:56 PM EDT
Oh yes, I understand. what I don''t understand abotu Lars is, he posts these quotes (ahem, lies) from the Quran... but he never says anyting about moderate Muslims. So does he think that all moderate Muslims are a threat too? Of course, I''m scared he''s going to kill me, because as I said before, that intensity of hate REALLY scares me.
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968 October 1, 2007 6:51 PM EDT
whats a mufti?

Posted by LadyJaneG at 03:47 PM : Oct 01, 2007



There was ONE PERSON that tried to collaborate the Muslims with the Germans. Lars found the connection and is now trying to beat it to death. But you''ll notice that he makes no mention of Hitler''s relationship with Pope Pius XII. Apparently when a Muslim wants to join Hitler''s extermination of the Jews, that proves his point. But when the Christian leader sanctions the extermination of the Jews, that''s perfectly acceptable.

In other words, typical lars hypocrisy.
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:47 PM EDT
whats a mufti?
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 6:43 PM EDT
Posted by hungry1968 at 03:26 PM : Oct 01, 2007

i am not calling all muslims fascist nazi terrorislamist,,, i am calling the ones that are fascist nazi terrorislamist that,,,

i guess you forgot all the years that the demonic-rats controlled both houses, the presidency and the supreme court,,,

so why do you have a problem when the gop does,,, it does not violate the constitution what so ever,,,

nor should it,,,
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 6:42 PM EDT
Posted by hungry1968 at 03:26 PM : Oct 01, 2007

fascist nazi terrorislam taught the germans how to be nazis,,,

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I would call it a duck.

It is convenient for liberals and fascist nazi Islamic muslims to forget that the "Grand Mufti of Jerusalem" went to Germany as a guest of Hitler during WWII...and begged Hitler to find the "final solution" to the jewish problem. This same Grand mufti used his influence to raise Two Muslim SS Divisions in Yugoslavia (Kosovo) and Albaina. These divisions were responsible for the murder of almost 1 Million jews, Serbs and Gypsies.

This same Grand Mufti was the maternal uncle of Yassir Arafat! The Mufti''''s war continues today worldwide.
http://www.sullivan-county.com/immigration/nazi_arab.htm
http://www.sullivan-county.com/id4/mufti.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=grand+mufti of jerusalem
Reply to this comment
by worldpeace99 October 1, 2007 6:29 PM EDT
***** Stop The War & Corporate Corruption *****

Why Don''t You Know Ron Paul??????

The corporate media will not give Ron Paul any Exposure. Because, NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world''s largest war-makers. They make things that go boom. They make $Billions on war. A Ron Paul administration would be bad for business. CNN is owned by AOL. Majority share holder is Saudi Royal Talal who is also partners with GHWBush in The Carlyle Group. Another major warmaker. And on and on. You get the picture. This is why they are doing a Media Blackout on him. Because they don''t WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!!!

Who is Ron Paul?
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about

Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/

Who 0wns The Media?
http://www.mediaowners.com

Ron Paul Has WON 10 Straw-Polls!:
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw-poll-results/

RESTORE YOUR LIBERTY & FREEDOM
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT RON PAUL 2008!

He Will:

** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''s Freedom!

GET UP AND GET ACTIVE TODAY!!!
Ron Paul Is America''s Last Hope!
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968 October 1, 2007 6:26 PM EDT
"..i know the fascist nazi terrorislamist want it to be.."
Posted by lars008 at 03:11 PM : Oct 01, 2007


This makes no sense whatsoever.

The nazi''s were all Christians, and believed that all people that weren''t white, blond haired, and blue eyed Christians need to be exterminated. They hated Jews, blacks, and everyone else that didn''t fit their description of the "master race", including Muslims. Linking the two of them together in a sentence is like saying, "democrat republican fascists" - it''s just too stupid to compare. I guess that''s why you do it.

Linking the words terrorislam is just stupid too. Not everyone that is Islamic is a terrorist, anymore than evryone from Germany is a nazi, or everyone from Russia is a communist. It''s just plain stupid. I guess that''s why you do it.

And you keep calling everyone a fascist that doesn''t agree with you point of view, even though Bush and Cheney have basically taken over the federal government, up to and including denying Congress their oversight abilities, stacking the courts full of Christian Conservatives instead of fair and impartial jurists, and giving no bid contracts to their politically connected friends - just like Hitler did. Calling anyone other than Bush and Cheney is just plain stupid. I guess that''s why you do it.
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:18 PM EDT
J-whitman you''re awesome :D And believe me, I know the problems Lebanon has with Zionism, I was there during the 2006 war. I apoligized to Lars becuase turth be told....I''m kind of scared he''ll kill me. Seriously....that much intensity of hate frightens me.
Reply to this comment
by j-whitman October 1, 2007 6:15 PM EDT
LadyJaneG,,,, Don''t appoligize to idiots like lars,,,, Lebaenon also has populations of Christians & Jews, zionism has been causing problems for them as well for decades.
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:11 PM EDT
Oh, it isn''t? My mistake, I think I must be misinformed. My apologies.
Reply to this comment
by j-whitman October 1, 2007 6:11 PM EDT
Lars008,,,,, If you haven''t notice, we have been fighting battles for equal rights & battles to protect our own rights right here in the USA for decades, it''s even more promenent now.
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 6:11 PM EDT
Posted by LadyJaneG at 03:02 PM : Oct 01, 2007

when did Lebanon become an islamic state??? i know the fascist nazi terrorislamist want it to be,,, and they are waging a terror campaign that is clasic terrorislam strategy to make it one,,,
Reply to this comment
by ladyjaneg October 1, 2007 6:02 PM EDT
Um, Lebanon does. Yah, there are ''sectors'' but it''s just like "Chinatown" or "Little Italy". I''m saying that to be rude and shoving it your face, but just to get you to think that yes, at least there is one.
Reply to this comment
by lars008-2009 October 1, 2007 5:58 PM EDT
j-whitman

NONE OF US IS FREE UNLESS ALL ARE FREE

WHY IS IT NOT ONE MUSLIM COUNTRY GRANTS EQUAL RIGHTS TO NON MUSLIMS?

Being non-Muslim in Islamic nations means ''protection''--and problems.(World: Iraq)
The official term for this right is "dhimmitude." The world''s foremost expert on the subject, Bat Ye''Or, coined the word in 1983 to describe the legal and social condition of Jews and Christians (dhimmis) subjected to Islamic rule. Broadly interpreted, it appears benign: Non-Muslims enjoy a protected status among their Muslims neighbors: But dhimmitude becomes problematic because its supposed safeguards and protections can be withdrawn as selectively as they are applied by rulers or governments of Islamic states.

In Iraq, as in other predominately Muslim states, Christianity has existed side by side with Islam for centuries. For some observers (as well as those who experience it firsthand), the status of Christians is not one of cheery coexistence. Rather, it may be more like the old racial divides in the United States, where blacks lived near, but not integrated into, white society, and where they "kept their place"--separate and unequal.

In a July 24 interview with NCR, Baghdad Archbishop Jean Sleiman, leader of Iraq''s Latin Catholic church, said that in Iraq, "Christians and Muslims can I-live] side by side--but only side by side. Side by side, but not equally. No mixing, no integration."
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-121763784.html
Reply to this comment
See all 45 Comments
  • MOST POPULAR
Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: