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Army stands by nation in terror war, says Kayani

* Army chief offers condolences to victims’ families
* Leaves for five-day visit to China, will meet president and army chief

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani condemned Saturday’s bomb attack in the heart of Islamabad, and said the army stood with the Pakistani nation in its resolve to fight terrorism.

A suicide bomber detonated a dumper truck packed with 600 kilogrammes of explosives outside the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, setting off a fiery blast that shattered the luxury hotel, killed at least 53 people and wounded hundreds.

The targeting of the American hotel chain was one of the largest terrorist attacks ever to hit Pakistan.

“The chief of army staff expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of all martyrs in this hour of grief and distress and the army stands with the nation in its resolve to defeat the forces of extremism and terrorism,” said an Inter-Services Public Relations statement issued on Sunday.

Pakistan’s army is in the midst of an offensive against Al Qaeda and Taliban in the Tribal Areas while the United States forces in Afghanistan have intensified attacks on the Pakistani side of the border.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda – many of whom poured into the Tribal Areas from across the border in Afghanistan when the US invaded after 9/11 – have launched bomb attacks, most on security forces, in retaliation.

During September alone, suicide bombers have hit targets in various parts across northern Pakistan, such as Islamabad, Lahore, Mardan and Charsadda.

An Al Qaeda video, released to mark the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, included a call for militants in Pakistan to step up their fight.

Analysts say the ability to carry out such a massive bombing at one of the most secure sites in the capital, not far from parliament and the Prime Minister’s House, is an unmistakable sign of the militants’ reach.

Leaves for China: Meanwhile, Gen Kayani left for a five-day visit to China late on Sunday – his first foreign tour since assuming the office of the army chief. Sources said senior army officials would accompany him, and that he would visit some of China’s military facilities.

The army chief will also hold meetings with the Chinese president and Chinese army chief General Chin.

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