Militants bomb Pakistani navy bus

At least five people killed in Karachi attack, which is the third in a week to target navy personnel A roadside bomb hit a bus taking Pakistani navy employees to work in Karachi, killing five people in the third such attack this week and just days after the army chief claimed to have “broken the backbone” of militants. The series of attacks in the country’s largest city and economic heart show the determination and reach of al-Qaida-linked extremist networks despite American-backed Pakistani army offensives against their main bases in the north-west close to the Afghan border. The blast, which hit early on Thursday morning, mangled the bus and damaged nearby buildings. Four of the dead were sailors, while the fifth was a passer-by, said navy spokesman Salman Ali and Seemi Jamali, a doctor at the city’s Jinnah hospital. Five people were wounded. On Tuesday, remote-controlled blasts 15 minutes apart in different parts of Karachi ripped through two navy buses, killing four navy personnel. The Pakistani Taliban the country’s deadliest militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, and warned of more unless the army stopped its campaigns in the north-west. Karachi is home to 18 million people and is the economic heart of Pakistan. It is far from the north-west, but has not been spared the Islamist violence wracking the country over the last four years. The Pakistan navy is based in the city, which is on the Arabian Sea. The army has launched several offensives in the north-west, but bombings against government and security force targets, as well as indiscriminate attacks on public places, have continued. The Pakistani Taliban have little direct public support, but their identification with Islam, strong anti-American rhetoric and support for insurgents in Afghanistan resonates with some. Last Saturday, Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani told graduating cadets that their force had “broken the backbone” of the militants. Those comments followed American criticism of the army campaign, which has struggled to hold border areas it has retaken from the insurgents. Pakistan Taliban Global terrorism al-Qaida guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 28, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.