CNSNews.com Senior Editor
December 27, 2007
10:29 am
Benazir Bhutto Shot and Killed After Political Rally
(CNSNews.com) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a friend to the United States, was assassinated following a political rally in Rawalpindi (near Islamabad) on Thursday. A suicide bomber blew up near her motorcade, but reportedly it was bullets, not shrapnel, that killed her, indicating that a sniper was at work as well. Earlier reports from the scene of the explosion said Bhutto was safe and unharmed, but the news changed minute by minute, and around 8:30 a.m. EST, the Associated Press reported she had died. Press reports said there was a 30-minute gap between the suicide attack at Bhutto's political rally and her arrival at the hospital. It's not clear where Bhutto was during that time. Bhutto was 54. She had many enemies (al Qaeda, Taliban, even some in the Musharraf government) and was well aware of the risks she took in returning to Pakistan, where she twice served as prime minister. The U.S. State Department has condemned the attack, saying it undermines reconciliation in Pakistan. Pakistan is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on January 8, following a year marked by political turmoil, a now-lifted state of emergency and an unprecedented spate of suicide bombings.
December 27, 2007
10:29 am
Benazir Bhutto Shot and Killed After Political Rally
(CNSNews.com) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a friend to the United States, was assassinated following a political rally in Rawalpindi (near Islamabad) on Thursday. A suicide bomber blew up near her motorcade, but reportedly it was bullets, not shrapnel, that killed her, indicating that a sniper was at work as well. Earlier reports from the scene of the explosion said Bhutto was safe and unharmed, but the news changed minute by minute, and around 8:30 a.m. EST, the Associated Press reported she had died. Press reports said there was a 30-minute gap between the suicide attack at Bhutto's political rally and her arrival at the hospital. It's not clear where Bhutto was during that time. Bhutto was 54. She had many enemies (al Qaeda, Taliban, even some in the Musharraf government) and was well aware of the risks she took in returning to Pakistan, where she twice served as prime minister. The U.S. State Department has condemned the attack, saying it undermines reconciliation in Pakistan. Pakistan is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on January 8, following a year marked by political turmoil, a now-lifted state of emergency and an unprecedented spate of suicide bombings.
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