Massive Car Bomb Rocks Pakistan

(CBS/AP)  Suspected Taliban militants carried out a brazen assault and suicide attack on one of northeastern Pakistan's biggest cities Wednesday, leaving as many as 30 people dead and scores more injured.

Raja Riaz, a senior minister in the Punjab government, told reporters that about 30 people were killed in the car bomb blast in Lahore. An estimated 250 more people were injured in the massive explosion.

The blast mid-morning Wednesday was powerful enough to shear walls off buildings in the main business district of Lahore.

Gunfire was heard in the area after the blast, and local media reported armed men engaged in small arms fire with police in several buildings in the area, according to CBS News' Farhan Bokhari.

Alex Crawford, of CBS News partner network Sky News, reports that the blast struck in the heart of Lahore, near the border with India, and damaged a police station, an office of Pakistan's main intelligence agency and a court in the densely populated city.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but the suicide attack comes amid a stepped up offensive by Pakistan's military in the troubled Swat Valley, where troops have been battling Taliban militants who control much of the picturesque terrain.

Two suspects arrested after the attack Wednesday morning, "appeared to be linked" to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, a powerful warlord based in the Waziristan region along the Afghan border, a senior Pakistani intelligence official told Bokhari.
"It is still early, but the information we have gathered suggests this is most likely a Mehsud-backed attack," the official told CBS News. The intelligence source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.

A Pakistani government minister, also speaking to Bokhari on condition of anonymity, went even further, saying the suicide blast "is certainly linked to Baitullah Mehsud... this is the final conclusion made so far."

Photos: Pakistan Bombing Attack Pakistani rescue workers remove the dead body from the site of suicide car bombing in Lahore, Pakistan on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. (Photo: AP)

Security forces later arrested three suspected militants in the capital city of Islamabad and a senior security official told CBS News the three men were all from near Swat Valley.

"We are investigating the possibility that these men were planning an attack in Islamabad and may have knowledge about the Lahore attack," the security official told Bokhari. He declined to give any further details.

Mehsud, the senior Taliban figure inside Pakistan, vowed in March to wage an attack in Washington. "Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world," he told The Associated Press by phone.

CBS News security correspondent Bob Orr reported about a year ago that U.S. intelligence officials were increasingly concerned that Mehsud could eclipse even Osama bin Laden as a threat to America.

The U.S. recently announced a $5 million bounty on Mehsud's head. Asked about it, he told the AP he would be happy to "embrace martyrdom."

Western diplomats told Bokhari that Wednesday's attack underlined the degree to which Pakistan remains vulnerable to reprisal attacks from Taliban militants, angered by the ongoing military operation in Swat Valley, now in its third week.

The military claims to have killed more than 1,100 militants, while losing as many as 70 of its own forces.

"The attack in Lahore tells us this situation could get much more ugly for Pakistan, especially if major cities are attacked," a senior Western diplomat in Islamabad told CBS News. "It seemed the Taliban militants were increasingly cornered in Swat, but now there is a danger of repercussions," said the diplomat.

[6591Hou]

The cheap propaganda statistics I read below is nothing new. If you were to count the number killed given in those propagandas, it will sum upto a few thousands. This has been outnumbered greatly by crusades to the brutal invasion of Paletine, to the present day of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let's start with Iraq and Afghanistan and not even count the illegal Palestine invasion, to the first Iraq war. "Angels of peace" have killed over 1 million directly and indirectly in the last 7 years alone. Add to those numbers are enormous lives who are mutilated, maimed, and burned badly. An enormous number of people have been killed by direct bombing on their mudhouses. For every one reported killed, there are thousands kileed behind that we never get to hear. It is not rocket science to figure out who the greatest satan(s) and terrorist(s) is/are.
Posted by mysteriousjz
++++++++++++++++++++++
Well those 'cheap propagandas' as you call them were really only intended to illustrate that the issue of terrorism is not limited to Bush's tenure. Now as to your mention of the crusades..did you know that the European's first crusade took place 300 years after the Islamic invasion of western Europe? You seem to be confused, the list was only about attacks against the United States, the United States did not invade Palestine.
Maybe if the person's who set the bombs on planes, carry bombs secretively onto buses and into markets, fire rockets from playgrounds and apartment buildings, hijack airliners and cruise ships, wear explosive vests into police stations and polling places, and saw tied up prisoner's heads off with knives would realize that they have to stop - that no violence would fall onto the innocent people that they surround themselves with for protection if they just stopped - that they could then build a sustainable country and a society among the other nations.

[mysteriousjz]

The cheap propaganda statistics I read below is nothing new. If you were to count the number killed given in those propagandas, it will sum upto a few thousands. This has been outnumbered greatly by crusades to the brutal invasion of Paletine, to the present day of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let's start with Iraq and Afghanistan and not even count the illegal Palestine invasion, to the first Iraq war. "Angels of peace" have killed over 1 million directly and indirectly in the last 7 years alone. Add to those numbers are enormous lives who are mutilated, maimed, and burned badly. An enormous number of people have been killed by direct bombing on their mudhouses. For every one reported killed, there are thousands kileed behind that we never get to hear. It is not rocket science to figure out who the greatest satan(s) and terrorist(s) is/are.

[6591Hou]

Terrorist Attacks
(within the United States or against Americans abroad)
=============================================
Part 2 of 2
2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed 2 commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; 2 more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.)
2002
June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb explodes outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.
2003
May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers kill 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.
2004
May 29?31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American.
June 11?19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks.
Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate, killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security.
2005
Nov. 9, Amman, Jordan: suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt, and Days Inn, in Amman, Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
2006
Sept. 13, Damascus, Syria: an attack by four gunman on the American embassy is foiled.
2007
Jan. 12, Athens, Greece: the U.S. embassy is fired on by an anti-tank missile causing damage but no injuries.
Dec. 11, Algeria: more than 60 people are killed, including 11 United Nations staff members, when Al Qaeda terrorists detonate two car bombs near Algeria's Constitutional Council and the United Nations offices.
2008
May 26, Iraq: a suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six U.S. soldiers and wounds 18 others in Tarmiya.
June 24, Iraq: a suicide bomber kills at least 20 people, including three U.S. Marines, at a meeting between sheiks and Americans in Karmah, a town west of Baghdad.
June 12, Afghanistan: four American servicemen are killed when a roadside bomb explodes near a U.S. military vehicle in Farah Province.
July 13, Afghanistan: nine U.S.soldiers and at least 15 NATO troops die when Taliban militants boldly attack an American base in Kunar Province, which borders Pakistan. It's the most deadly against U.S. troops in three years.
Aug. 18 and 19, Afghanistan: as many as 15 suicide bombers backed by about 30 militants attack a U.S. military base, Camp Salerno, in Bamiyan. Fighting between U.S. troops and members of the Taliban rages overnight. No U.S. troops are killed.
Sept. 16, Yemen: a car bomb and a rocket strike the U.S. embassy in Yemen as staff arrived to work, killing 16 people, including 4 civilians. At least 25 suspected al-Qaeda militants are arrested for the attack.
Nov. 26, India: in a series of attacks on several of Mumbai's landmarks and commercial hubs that are popular with Americans and other foreign tourists, including at least two five-star hotels, a hospital, a train station, and a cinema. About 300 people are wounded and nearly 190 people die, including at least 5 Americans.

Information Please® Database, © Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

[6591Hou]

Terrorist Attacks
(within the United States or against Americans abroad)
=============================================
1979
Nov. 4, Tehran, Iran: Iranian radical students seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan's inauguration.
1982?1991
Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.
1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.
Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait: Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.
1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.
Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed.
1985
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed.
Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.
Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya.
1986
April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.
1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.
1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.
1995
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.
1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.
1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.
2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.


Information Please® Database, © Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

[enriquecaliente]

The reason this is happening now is, because the Bush Administration dropped the ball in Afghanistan. Instead of hunting down Bin Laden, we let him get away by giving the job of finding him to local warlords. Then they started a 2nd front and war in Iraq, for no reason other then to line their pockets. (Halliburton) There were no WMD's and no links to Bin Laden and the Taliban. And let's not forget that the IRA, used car bombs also. Now time, we have to help the Pakistani government to shut them down.

[notblue]

strike-hold, we invaded Afghanistan after the towers came down, why do you feel that was "the wrong country". Do you realize the Taliban allowed Osama to operate out of Afghanistan? Guess not! Keep up the good work of midigating yourself with your own posts. LOL!

[dwilson59]

BRING DOWN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, DIRECTLY AFTER WHICH YOU

INVADED AND OCCUPIED THE WRONG COUNTRY, USING TORTURE, MURDER,

PROPAGANDA, AND KIDNAPPING TO PROMOTE YOU POSITION, EVERYTHING

YOU CLOWNS DID WAS ANTI AMERICAN
Posted by Strike-Hold at 12:11 PM : May 27, 2009

Its good to be the King

[dwilson59]

Just give me 1 B52 and I can carpet bomb all the villages

[rhs648]

And these are the people we would provide constitutional rights if we caught them. Gitmo would be more than adequare for these people. They indiscriminately kill and mame innocent people. Perhaps they are nothing more than psychopaths.

[notblue]

nancynaiven and pythoncharlie, since you seem ot have such a good focus and body count reegarding the attack that the one American terrorist McVeigh did with his attack, and in nancy's case even the potential body count from that attack, tell us how many attacks and innocent civilians have been killed over the last thirty years by Islamic extremists? I am sure both of you have a wall of fame highlighting every attack right below your allah akbar sign. By the way nobody has "ruled" America for more than four decades with the UNPRECEDENTED POWER THE DEMOCRATS NOW ENJOY.