Major Terror Attack In Islamabad: 40+ Dead

Once again, the Islamic terrorists strike during Ramadan and murder still more Muslims. A suicide bomber drove his truck into the security gate at the Marriott in Islamabad blowing up the vehicle and killing at least 17 people (CNN says 20).

It's notable especially for who was supposedly in attendance nearby:

Initial reports said a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of the hotel.

The powerful blast was heard from several kilometres away. The explosion destroyed numerous vehicles parked outside the hotel and uprooted trees.

It also sparked a fire in the hotel, which was evacuated. There were reports that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was hosting an Iftar dinner at the nearby prime minister's secretariat. The event was attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, where a fire also burned. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, and its exact cause was unclear. But Pakistan has faced a wave of militant violence in recent weeks following army-led offensives against insurgents in its border regions.

Mohammad Sultan, a hotel employee, said he was in the lobby when something exploded, he fell down, and everything temporarily went dark.

Was this was an attempt to decapitate the entire Pakistani government in one shot? Did someone on the inside knew the schedules of those leaders and where they would be and planned an attack to assassinate them in one fell swoop?

Who are the prime suspects? Well, they're going to be the usual ones: Taliban, al Qaeda, and Baitullah Mehsud. My money is on Mehsud.

The attack comes hours after Asif Ali Zardari made his first speech to the Parliament as President.

The Pakistani leaders have walked a fine line for years - moving from crisis to crisis doing just enough to stay in power as the Islamists attack the government: appeasement followed by crackdown. It's what got Musharraf into trouble, and the new government faces the same exact problem. I fully expect them to follow in Musharraf's footsteps and do just enough to stay in power.

These are dangerous times in Pakistan.

UPDATE:
The BBC has some photos of the devastation (HT: Thanos at LGF). The death toll continues to climb, and now stands at 25 (AFP says 27 and the photo attached to that story gives some sense to how large a bomb this was).

UPDATE:
This will be my last update for a while, and the death toll is now 40, and I expect it to climb much higher.

The blast left a crater some 30 feet deep in front of the main building.

Flames poured from the windows of the hotel and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.