Taliban link suspected in Pak human bomb attack

Arab News:

Pakistani security agencies said yesterday they have arrested four persons from Torangzai, an area of district Charsadda in the suicide bombing that killed 56 people but missed the target, a close ally of President Pervez Musharraf.

The announcement came as grisly new details emerged about the attack, which saw the bomber pack his suicide vest with ball-bearings to inflict as many casualties as possible. Friday’s bombing, one of the worst suicide attacks in Pakistan’s history, targeted former Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, who led a government crackdown on Islamic militants.

According to sources, the arrests were made in the Bambukhel Mosque of Torangzai, where a large number of Afghan nationals were residing. Forensic scientists have been combing the remains of the explosive device and the victims, who were part of a large crowd offering prayers for Eid Al-Adha.

An Islamic school in a nearby village was also raided and seven students arrested, reports say. “We have arrested several people,” said one of the officials, who asked not to be named. “We have made important progress in the investigation and we hope to hunt down culprits.”

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A counterintelligence source told Arab News the likeliest suspects are pro-Taleban militants, who have stepped up attacks against the government in retaliation for operations against them in the border areas near Afghanistan.

In its editorial on the attack the Arab News attacked the actors behind the attack:

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Why? What possible purpose could be served by the slaughter and maiming of so many innocent people who were at prayer? The individuals who planned this terrible crime claim to be acting in the name of Islam, but who, but madmen could possibly believe that a deed of such barbarity could in any way whatsoever be justified by Islam?

The terrorists proved by their action just how untrue they are to the ideas they claim to be promoting. They also demonstrated what it is that they are really about, which is power and money. Their agenda has nothing to do with Islam. If it did, the awful slaughter at the mosque in Charsadda would never have happened. Indeed, they would be seeking to protect Muslims, rather than blowing them apart.

Organizations such as Al-Qaeda draw their power from threats, not doctrine. They terrorize the communities in which they move and they butcher those who oppose them. No one’s life is sacred, not even the lives of children as the blasts two weeks ago on a school bus and at a road checkpoint demonstrate.

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Religious bigots who think they are on a mission from God have no inhibitions. The demons that have stolen their honor have turned them into something condemned by all, regardless of religion. Recent reports suggest al Qaeda has turned its focus to Pakistan since it is on the way to losing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan should get ready for more brutality from the bigots.