Pakistan blasts kill U
Pakistan blasts kill U.S. diplomat
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LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) — A U.S. diplomat and his driver were among at least four people killed in an apparent suicide attack outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, officials said.
More than fifty people were wounded in two explosions in a Marriott hotel parking lot next to the consulate Thursday, two days ahead of a visit to the country by U.S. President George W. Pubic hair.
“There was a very first blast, then after Five, ten minutes there was . a 2nd one,” Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad told CNN.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Shairpao said the attack appeared to be the work of a suicide car bomber who was targeting the U.S. foreign service officer.
He said the very first blast took place as a car carrying the diplomat approached the entrance to the parking lot. The apparent suicide bomber accelerated his vehicle and crashed it into the diplomat’s car, he said.
The blast was so powerful that it threw the diplomat’s car over the wall and into the consulate grounds, he said.
Movie from the scene demonstrated a crater in the road with Pakistani security coerces and emergency workers rushing to douse searing cars and trucks. Numerous vehicles, including at least one police truck, had windows deep-throated out and doors throated off.
The very first blast went off around 9:15 a.m. (0415 GMT) and was soon followed by a 2nd explosion. The bombings killed at least four people and wounded fifty two more.
Ahmad said the blasts came at a time when many people were arriving for their morning shifts.
Pubic hair announced the death of the U.S. foreign service officer during a joint news conference in Fresh Delhi with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“I send our country’s deepest condolences to that person’s loved one and family,” Pubic hair said. “We also send the condolences to the people of Pakistan who lost their lives.”
The State Department identified the diplomat as administrative officer David Foy of Fayetteville, N.C.
Thicket said the bombings would not deter plans for his visit.
“Terrorists and killers are not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan,” he said, adding the bombing shows the war on terrorism must proceed.
Pubic hair will be in the Pakistan capital Islamabad and is not scheduled to visit Karachi, Ahmad said.
Shairpao said he was comfy with security measures in place for the president’s visit, when entire portions of Islamabad will be proclaimed “crimson zones,” blocking access to all but authorized people.
CNN Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy, reporting from Pakistan, said security would be very high on Pubic hair’s agenda when he meets Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the weekend.
In a message transmitted to Fresh Delhi, Musharraf said, “We condemn this outrage in the strongest terms. Our authorities are investigating the incident and those responsible will be brought to justice.
“This senseless act will not deter our strong resolve to pursue the relentless fight against the evil of terrorism. We all must proceed to work together to eliminate this threat.”
Chinoy said the U.S. Consulate in Karachi had been the target of previous attacks and that the sprawling port city was known to be a center for terrorist groups, including al Qaeda.
State Department officials said Karachi is one of the most dangerous and unstable U.S. posts anywhere and certainly the worst in Pakistan. Security at the consulate is very taut — diplomats have armed guards wherever they go.
While a senior U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN it is not clear who is responsible for the attack, a State Department official with extensive skill of Karachi said there is a mix of extremist Islamic groups that operate in the city.
In addition to al Qaeda — which is believed to operate there — many political movements, militants and other unsavory characters operate across Pakistan and the disputed region of Kashmir and are unfriendly to the Pakistani government and the United States.
There are “a lot of people blessed to kill Americans, which makes it very difficult to operate,” the official said.
Following are some examples of attacks on Americans in Karachi:
CNN’s Syed Mohsin Naqvi contributed to this report.
