US Consulate Officials Attacked In Car Bombing In Pakistan

Pakistani Taliban terrorists carried out a car bombing against a US consulate convoy in Peshawar, Pakistan, apparently detonating 110 pounds of explosives in the process. Two officials were lightly injured and a Pakistani bystander was killed and 11 others wounded, as the attack was claimed by the Taliban to be in response to the US killing of Osama bin Laden.



It's the first such attack against US interests since bin Laden's death, and not surprisingly the Taliban are taking credit for the attack as revenge - not that the Taliban need an excuse to cause murder and mayhem.

Peshawar is home to many Afghan refugees, and the Taliban are frequently attacking Pakistani forces there as well:

“The attack was deliberately targeted against consulate vehicles,” he said.

“It was a bomb blast. We are still investigating.” The Pakistani Taliban swiftly claimed responsibility, in a telephone call to the AFP news agency, and threatened further attacks against Western targets.

"Our first enemy is Pakistan, then the United States and after that, other NATO countries,” said spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.

Police in the city said 11 people were hurt, including two foreigners who were slightly injured.

"A man on a motorbike who was passing by was killed in the blast, which was caused by a car bomb,” said one intelligence official on the scene.

The US maintains a small presence in Peshawar, despite a high security risk — heightened by America’s unilateral raid to kill the al-Qaeda leader.

The city is home to thousands of Afghan refugees and serves as a cross-border smuggling hub for insurgents.

On Wednesday, swarms of militants attacked a police checkpoint just outside the city. Two officers and 15 attackers died in a fire fight that lasted hours through the night.

It's not like the Taliban need excuses to murder people or cause mayhem. It's what they do.