The massive explosion that devastated the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, Saturday -- killing at least 53 people and wounding hundreds -- is being seen as a warning from Islamist militants over the Pakistani government's cooperation with the United States.
The hotel, which is popular with both diplomats and other foreigners, was struck by at least one truck filled with more than a ton of explosives in one of the country's worst acts of terrorism. The Czech ambassador and two Americans and about a dozen foreigners were among the dead.
"This was definitely a clear signal that this is no longer a safe place for foreigners, especially Americans," says Ayesha Siddiqa, an independent security analyst based in the city. "And it's a message to the Pakistani government: 'Can you handle us?' "
Though there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the main suspect is the Pakistani Taliban, which is made up of myriad Islamist militant groups and is believed to be linked to Al Qaeda.
Last month Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda's deputy leader, accused Pakistan's political leaders of acting on behalf of the US and called on his followers to rise up against them. But Saturday's explosion is also expected to exacerbate tensions between the US and Pakistan over how aggressively Pakistan is perceived to be cracking down on militants. A rising wave of violence has killed nearly 1,300 people in Pakistan this year alone.
India, too, believes it is feeling the effect of Pakistan's mounting insurgency. On the day of the Islamabad bombing, police in New Delhi claimed that the Pakistani Islamist militant group, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, was behind bombs that ripped through busy Delhi markets on Sept. 13, killing at least 22 people.
More at the The Christian Science Monitor.
Additional Reporting and Commentary
Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan - Washington Post
More Bodies Pulled From Hotel Rubble in Pakistan - New York Times
Pakistan Toll Rises to 53; 2 US Service Members - Los Angeles Times
Al-Qaeda Blamed as Suicide Bomber Kills 53 - The Times
Carnage: Pakistan's Reality Check - Sydney Morning Herald
Terrorists' Message for Zardari - The Australian
Bloodshed of Desperation Becomes the Real Threat - The Times
Pakistan Blames Al-Qaeda for Hotel Bombing - Agence France-Presse
Pakistan Faces its 9/11, Vows No Retreat - The Australian
Pakistan Security Officials Describe Hotel Attack - Voice of America
Rescuers Comb Pakistan Bomb Hotel - BBC News
Pakistan Must Wake Up - Daily Telegraph editorial
Pakistan's Contradictory Faces - Christian Science Monitor opinion
Pakistan's Double Game - Washington Times editorial
Washington has good reason to be wary of the Pakistani government and military, and it's no secret what the problem is: The Pakistani army has been heavily infiltrated by Taliban and al Qaeda sympathizers, and the same is true of Pakistan's security service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In important respects, the current difficulties between the United States and Pakistan are but the latest chapter of a long-running dispute between the two nations over Pakistan's relationships with al Qaeda and other radical Islamist forces in the region. During the 1990s, Pakistani governments headed by the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her successor as prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and then Gen. Pervez Musharraf, went out of their way to placate the Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan while the ISI was known to maintain good relations with al Qaeda. This situation changed to some degree after September 11, when Gen. Musharraf began in essence playing a double game (in exchange for $10 billion in assistance from the US taxpayer): assisting US forces in capturing and killing al Qaeda operatives part of the time, while providing the terrorists with sanctuary, bases and protection the other part of the time.
This approach may have seemed bearable to US policymakers several years ago, when the Taliban appeared to have been routed in neighboring Afghanistan. That situation no longer exists, and Pakistan's role in sheltering jihadists has become less and less tolerable. Pakistan's continued refusal to take action against terrorists operating on its soil may be on the verge of opening a dark new chapter in relations with the United States.
More at The Washington Times.