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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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Pakistan Bombing Miscalculation By Militants
May 8, 2002
Summary
An apparent suicide bombing left at least 10 French workers and two Pakistanis dead in Karachi May 8. Although both French and Pakistani officials quickly pointed the finger at al Qaeda, the operation is more likely the work of a local militant group. This attack demonstrates clear differences between the central al Qaeda leadership and the agendas of smaller militant groups.
Image Credit: l'Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Analysis
At least 10 French nationals and two Pakistanis were killed in an apparent suicide bombing in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi May 8. According to local reports, a car full of explosives rammed a Pakistani navy minibus in front of the Sheraton hotel as French engineers and workers were boarding. The French staff is working on Pakistan's submarine program at the naval shipyards.
Rescuers look for victims in a bus destroyed by a powerful car bomb in Karachi yesterday. Twelve people were killed in the explosion which wounded at least 22 people.
Image Credit: Reuters.
French and Pakistani officials quickly fingered al Qaeda as a top suspect in the attack, the third this year against Western targets in Pakistan, following the murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl and the grenade attack against a Protestant church in Islamabad. This bombing, however, has the earmarks of a locally planned operation rather than the work of al Qaeda's central leadership.
Whereas al Qaeda operates on a global scale, choosing its targets and operations based on a broader strategy, local groups that are sympathetic to the network take a more tactical approach, which could prove detrimental to al Qaeda's agenda.
Image Credit: Stratfor.com.
By targeting a bus full of French nationals, the attackers committed a serious miscalculation. France has thus far remained largely ambiguous as to its role in the global war against terrorism, but the killing of French civilians likely will lead to a major shift in the country's support and cooperation. It could also trigger a swift and harsh response from the Pakistani government, as the militants hit one of the military's major development programs -- one that was intended to offer Islamabad greater leverage in a potential confrontation with neighboring India.
(The Rest of the Story)
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
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Thursday, May 9, 2002
Dan
Pakistan Bombing Miscalculation By Militants . . .