Posted on 10/05/2009 5:36:13 AM PDT by rdl6989
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has temporarily closed all its offices across Pakistan after a suicide blast Monday killed four people at the World Food Programme compound in central Islamabad, a UN spokeswoman said.
‘All UN offices in Pakistan have been closed until further notice,’ spokeswoman Susan Manuel told AFP.
Another UN spokeswoman, Ishrat Rizvi, told AFP that the offices would be shut ‘for security reasons.’
A suicide bomber walked into the WFP's heavily fortified offices in Islamabad early Monday afternoon, police say, with three Pakistanis and one Iraqi man killed in the blast.
(Excerpt) Read more at dawn.com ...
Ping.
When the going gets tough - the UN gets going . . .
in the other direction - as fast as it can.
“UN says offices closed across Pakistan after suicide attack”
I’d call that a silver lining...
That seems to be a favorite tactic for Islamo-Nazis to use when their goal is mass murder. Is it based on some treachery that Mohammed used as documented in the Koran or some other Islamic teachings, or is it just a tactic that appeals to garden-variety psychopaths and mass murderers?
We need to be extremely vigilant, perhaps even to the point of issuing public service announcement warnings, because based on the jihadi tactics seen in so many other places, they are going to do exactly the same thing here, using official-looking police and fire department uniforms and vehicles, UPS trucks and uniforms, ambulances and EMT uniforms, mail carrier uniforms and vehicles, pilot uniforms, doctor and nurse-style coats, National Guard uniforms and vehicles, and the like in order to commit their crimes...
The only ‘religion’ I know of that targets civilians, preferably working in agencies that are supposed to help the poor and downtrodden.
Not that the UN is all that great at helping those people, but in Pakistan I guess it was the nearest thing they could find to attack.
Thank you for the ping rdl6989.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/wn-09100501.html
WARDEN NOTICE
Warden Notice - Explosion in Islamabad
October 5, 2009
This Warden Notice is to advise American citizens that an explosion occurred at the World Food Programme Offices in F-8/3, Islamabad. U.S. Embassy personnel have been advised to avoid the F-8 district until further notice.
The Embassy reiterates its advice to all Americans to take measures for their safety and security at all times. These measures include maintaining good situational awareness, avoiding crowds, and keeping a low profile. The Embassy reminds Americans that even peaceful demonstrations may become violent and advises Americans to avoid demonstrations. Americans should avoid setting patterns by varying times and routes for all required travel. Americans should ensure that their travel documents and visas are valid at all times.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov/, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warning for Pakistan, and Country-Specific Information for Pakistan can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
American citizens are encouraged to register with the nearest Embassy or Consulate. Registration can be done online at https://travelregistration.state.gov/
Contact information follows for all four posts in Pakistan:
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad is located at Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5; telephone (92-51) 208-0000; Consular Section telephone (92-51) 208-2700; fax (92-51) 282-2632; website http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/; Email address: acs_islamabad@state.gov
The U.S. Consulate General in Karachi, located at 8 Abdullah Haroon Road, provides service to U.S. citizens by appointment only. U.S. citizens requiring assistance should call the consular section in Karachi. Their telephone is (92-21) 3520-4200; after hours (92-21) 3520-4400; fax (92-21) 3568-0496; website http://karachi.usconsulate.gov/
The U.S. Consulate in Lahore is located at 50- Sharah-E-Abdul Hameed Bin Badees, (Old Empress Road) near Shimla Hill Rotary; telephone (92-42) 3603-4000 or 3603-4250; fax (92-42) 3603-4200; website
http://lahore.usconsulate.gov/; Email address: acslahore@state.gov
The U.S. Consulate in Peshawar is located at 11 Hospital Road, Cantonment, Peshawar; telephone (92-91) 526-8800; fax (92-91) 527-6712; website http://peshawar.usconsulate.gov/
Thread ping.
#
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_930.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Mon Oct 05 2009 11:51:47 GMT-0700 (PDT).
PAKISTAN
June 12, 2009
The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against non-essential travel to Pakistan in light of the threat of terrorist activity. This replaces the Travel Warning dated February 25, 2009, updates information on security incidents and reminds U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns in Pakistan.
Pakistani military forces are currently engaged in a campaign against extremist elements across many areas of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts of the Northwest Frontier Province, including the Swat Valley. In response to this campaign, militants have vowed to step up attacks against both civilian and government targets in Pakistan’s cities.
The presence of Al-Qaida, Taliban elements, and indigenous militant sectarian groups poses a potential danger to American citizens throughout Pakistan, especially in the western border regions of the country. Continuing tensions in the Middle East also increase the possibility of violence against Westerners. Terrorists and their sympathizers have successfully attacked civilian and government targets. The Pakistan government has heightened security measures, particularly in the major cities. Threat reporting indicates terrorist groups continue to seek opportunities to attack locations where Americans and Westerners are known to congregate or visit, such as shopping areas, hotels, clubs and restaurants, places of worship, schools, or outdoor recreation events.
Visits by U.S. government personnel to Peshawar and Karachi are limited and movements by U.S. government personnel assigned to the Consulates in those cities are severely restricted. American officials in Lahore and Islamabad are instructed to restrict the frequency and to minimize the duration of trips to public markets, restaurants, and other locations. Only a limited number of official visitors are placed in hotels, for limited stays. Depending on ongoing security assessments, the U.S. Embassy places areas such as hotels, markets, and/or restaurants off limits to official personnel. American citizens in Pakistan are strongly urged to avoid hotels that do not apply stringent security measures and to maintain good situational awareness, particularly when visiting locations frequented by Westerners.
On November 12, 2008, an American government contractor and his driver in Peshawar were shot and killed in their car. In September 2008, over fifty people, including three Americans, were killed and hundreds were injured when a suicide bomber set off a truck filled with explosives outside a major international hotel in Islamabad. In August 2008, gunmen stopped and shot at the vehicle of an American diplomat in Peshawar. In March 2008, a restaurant frequented by Westerners in Islamabad was bombed, killing one patron and seriously injuring several others, including four American diplomats. On March 2, 2006, an American diplomat, a Consulate employee, and three others were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives alongside the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi. Fifty-two others were wounded.
Extremist and sectarian violence has resulted in fatal bomb attacks in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, and other Pakistani cities in 2008 and 2009. According to media reports, in the last 14 months, there have been more than 1,800 incidents of terrorism across the country resulting in more than 1,300 deaths and scores of injuries. Some of the attacks have occurred outside major hotels, in market areas and other locations frequented by Americans. Other recent targets have included restaurants, Pakistani government officials and buildings, police and security forces, mosques, and international NGOs. Since late 2007, occasional rockets have targeted areas in and around Peshawar.
Since 2007, several American citizens throughout Pakistan have been kidnapped for ransom or for personal reasons. Kidnappings of foreigners are particularly common in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan. In 2008, one Iranian and two Afghan diplomats, two Chinese engineers, and a Polish engineer were kidnapped in NWFP. In February 2009, an American UNHCR official was kidnapped in Baluchistan. Kidnappings of Pakistanis also increased dramatically across the country, usually for ransom.
Access to many areas of Pakistan, including the FATA along the Afghan border, and the area adjacent to the Line of Control (LOC) in the disputed territory of Kashmir, is restricted by local government authorities for non-Pakistanis. Travel to any restricted region requires official permission by the Government of Pakistan. Failure to obtain such permission in advance can result in arrest and detention by Pakistani authorities. Due to security concerns the U.S. Government currently allows only essential travel within the FATA by American officials. Travel to much of the Northwest Frontier Province and Balochistan is also restricted.
Rallies, demonstrations, and processions occur regularly throughout Pakistan on very short notice. In the aftermath of the December 2007 death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, widespread rioting in Karachi led to multiple deaths and injuries as well as widespread property damage. Demonstrations have often taken on an anti-American or anti-western character, and Americans are urged to avoid large gatherings.
U.S. citizens who travel to or remain in Pakistan despite this Travel Warning are encouraged to register with the Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulates in Karachi, Lahore, or Peshawar. This registration can be completed online through the Department of State’s travel registration website. Alternatively, Americans without Internet access should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate for information on registering in person. Registration enables citizens to obtain updated information on travel and security within Pakistan via the emergency alert system (Warden network).
Americans in country should take measures for their safety and security. These measures include maintaining good situational awareness, avoiding crowds and demonstrations and keeping a low profile. Avoid setting patterns by varying times and routes for all required travel. Ensure that travel documents and visas are valid at all times. Official Americans are instructed to avoid use of public transportation and restrict their use of personal vehicles in response to security concerns.
Security threats may on short notice temporarily restrict the ability of U.S. Missions, particularly in Peshawar, to provide routine consular services. All American citizens are encouraged to apply for renewal of travel documents at least three months prior to expiration.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad is located at Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5; telephone: (92-51) 208-0000, including after hours emergency assistance; Consular Section telephone: (92-51) 208-2700; fax: (92-51) 282-2632; website: http://islamabad.usembassy.gov.
The U.S. Consulate General in Karachi is located at 8 Abdullah Haroon Road; telephone: (92-21) 520-4200 or (92-21) 520-4400 for after hours emergency assistance; fax: (92-21) 568-0496; website: http://karachi.usconsulate.gov.
The U.S. Consulate in Lahore is located on 50 Sharah-E-Abdul Hamid Bin Badees (Old Empress Road), near Shimla Hill Rotary; telephone: (92-42) 603-4000, including after hours emergency assistance; fax: (92-42) 603-4200; website: http://lahore.usconsulate.gov.
The U.S. Consulate in Peshawar is located at 11 Hospital Road, Cantonment, Peshawar; telephone: (92-91) 526-8800, including after hours emergency assistance; fax: (92-91) 528-4171; website: http://Peshawar.usconsulate.gov.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution and the Pakistan Country Specific Information can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/10/five_killed_in_suici.php
“Five killed in suicide attack at UN office in Islamabad”
By BILL ROGGI
October 5, 2009 10:25 AM
SNIPPET: “A suicide bomber killed five United Nations workers in an attack at an office in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad.
The suicide bomber penetrated security at the World Food Program offices and detonated inside the building, killing four Pakistanis and an Iraqi national. Six Pakistanis were also wounded in the blast. Two employees are said to be in critical condition.
Pakistani police are attempting to determine how the bomber was able to get past the security measures in the capital. The UN compound is housed with other foreign offices and embassies in a high security district. Security checkpoints and blast walls ring the compounds.
“We are investigating how he managed to enter inside the building,” Bani Amin, the deputy inspector general of police operations told AFP. “There are scanners, there are cameras, and strict security arrangements.”
The author for the article in post no. 12 is Bill Roggio.
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