The Expanding Battlefield

by: Brandon Friedman

Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 16:28:14 PM EDT

KARACHI - Pakistani authorities have compared Saturday evening's devastating truck suicide attack on the Marriott Hotel in the capital Islamabad to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In terms of its psychological effect, the blast, which killed more than 80 people, injured hundreds and burnt out the hotel, has traumatized the nation, and, like 9/11, marks the beginning of a new battle: this time not the "war on terror", but the war by terrorists.

Pakistan is now the declared battleground in this struggle by Islamic militants to strike first against American interests before the United States' war machine completes its preparations to storm the sanctuaries of al-Qaeda in Pakistan.

The attack on one of the hotels in the chain of the US Marriott group was one of the worst in Pakistan's history and involved the sophisticated use of over 600 kilograms of TNT explosive blended with RDX and phosphorous, detonated when a truck rammed into a security barricade in front of the hotel

Among the dead were the Czech ambassador to Pakistan, two US Marines, members of the US embassy staff, Saudi nationals and other European diplomats. More than 250 people were injured and dozens of parked cars were destroyed.

To further complicate matters, it turns out that the Pakistani "prime minister, president, cabinet and all services chiefs" had been invited to a dinner at the Marriott that night, but, for some reason, did not attend.  An adviser to the Pakistani prime minister explained:

"An Iftar Dinner was scheduled at Marriot on September which was hosted by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza and where all dignitaries including the prime minister, president, cabinet and all services chiefs were invited. However, at the eleventh hour the dinner was shifted to the prime minster's house which saved Pakistan's entire military and political leadership."

That, my friends, does not pass the smell test.  

In addition, the Asia Times is now reporting from inside Pakistan:

There is little doubt in the minds of those familiar with the American activities at Tarbella that preparations are being made for an all-out offensive in North-West Frontier Province against sanctuaries belonging to the Taliban and al-Qaeda led by bin Laden. Pakistani security sources maintain more American troops will arrive in the coming days.

Pakistan recently offered ceasefire agreements to militants in the North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. These were not only summarily rejected, but followed with attacks in the two Waziristans on security forces, and then the Marriott operation.

For both the militants and the United States, the gloves have come off. Clearly, Washington is concerned at the lack of progress in clipping the wings of the militancy in Pakistan (read al-Qaeda fugitives) and that the Taliban have bases in Pakistan to fuel their insurgency in Afghanistan.

While I think the Asia Times piece sounds a bit hysterical at the moment, the situation is clearly worsening and clearly not under U.S.--or Pakistani--control.

In other news from Pakistan, British Airways has now temporarily halted its flights into the country:

British Airways has suspended all flights to Pakistan temporarily, following heightened security fears due to a deadly suicide attack at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel on Saturday.

An airline spokesman said: "We suspended all flights to Pakistan immediately after the blast. It's a temporary suspension. Our people at headquarters are reviewing the security situation."

This is a problem that can be directly attributed to the Bush administration's lack of focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan for the past six years, coupled with its obsession over Iraq.  People who declare Iraq to be the central front in the "War on Terror"--like John McCain--are dangerously mistaken and far removed from reality.

H/T to deMeme

UPDATE: Reuters is reporting that Afghanistan's top diplomat has now been abducted in Pakistan.