Author: Associated Press

The strike by at least two gunmen was part of a wave of bloodshed that has
killed more than 400 people in Pakistan since October. It was a bloody
reminder of the resilience of militant networks despite army offensives
against the Taliban in the northwest regions bordering Afghanistan.

Two hours after the attack began, occasional gunshots were still being heard
from inside the heavily fortified area in the garrison city of Rawalpindi
just a few miles from the capital. Reporters were kept away from the scene.

Three helicopters hovered overhead while trucks carrying commando teams and
ambulances raced through the cordoned-off area as soldiers kept onlookers
and traffic away.

The attack, the third to target Rawalpindi in nearly two months, began when
several gunmen staged an explosion to break through a checkpoint close to
the mosque, which was popular with army officers, said Yasir Nawaz, a police
official at the scene.

He said the installation included an army parade ground as well as the mosque,
which was often used by military officers.

Two of the assailants were able to enter the mosque and sprayed the
congregation with gunfire and grenades, said military spokesman Maj. Gen.
Athar Abbas. He said there were other attackers, but provided no details
about them.

An intelligence official said 35 people were killed, their bodies taken to two
hospitals close to the scene. Seventy others were wounded.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that Britain stood “shoulder to shoulder”
with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. In a letter of condolence to
Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, Mr Brown condemned the outrage as a
“heinous attack”.

The Prime Minister wrote: “I was very sorry to hear about the terrible attacks
in Rawalpindi this morning.

“My condolences go out to the victims of this heinous attack and their
families.

“The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in confronting the menace of
terrorism.”

The attack follows a meeting at 10 Downing Street between Mr Brown and
Pakistan’s prime minister Raza Gilani yesterday, at which the struggle
against violent extremism topped the agenda.

Mr Brown urged Pakistan to do more to hunt down the leaders of the al Qaida
terror network, including Osama bin Laden.

But Mr Gilani insisted bin Laden was not in Pakistan and that his security
forces had been “extremely successful” in tackling terrorists within its
borders.

View full article here