The U.S. is now saying that Benazir Bhutto ignored their security warnings after the first attack on her life in Pakistan. These U.S. officials are saying that Bhutto's aides ignored their warnings on two key security issues:
1. Hire more private security guards
2. Reducing her visibility in large open crowds
Let's face it. The scene in which Bhutto was killed went totally against the U.S. recommendations - Bhutto's car was in the middle of a huge throng of people that had access to the very sides of her car and when she stood through the sun roof, there was no chance for security to shield her. On the other hand, it's not clear whether Bhutto refused to follow her own peoples' advice on the sun roof appearance but it is apparent that the car being in a middle of a swarm was not deterred with rings of security personnel.
Here's the full story.
1. Hire more private security guards
2. Reducing her visibility in large open crowds
Let's face it. The scene in which Bhutto was killed went totally against the U.S. recommendations - Bhutto's car was in the middle of a huge throng of people that had access to the very sides of her car and when she stood through the sun roof, there was no chance for security to shield her. On the other hand, it's not clear whether Bhutto refused to follow her own peoples' advice on the sun roof appearance but it is apparent that the car being in a middle of a swarm was not deterred with rings of security personnel.
Here's the full story.
Benazir Bhutto 'ignored security warnings'
By Isambard Wilkinson, Pakistan Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:18am GMT 02/01/2008
Benazir Bhutto repeatedly ignored intelligence passed to her about possible threats before she was assassinated, the United States has said.
Officials rejected accusations that they had minimised the danger because they were encouraging a power sharing agreement between the former Pakistan prime minister and President Pervez Musharraf.
Instead, they said they had advised Miss Bhutto's aides on how to boost security after a suicide bomber targeted her procession on her return to Pakistan from exile in October."She knew people were trying to assassinate her," a US state department spokesman said. "We don't hold information back on possible attacks on foreign leaders and foreign countries.
"We discussed those concerns regularly both with her and officials from her party and with President Musharraf and his government," said the official.
"In every instance, we always took those concerns seriously. We were very active in trying to ensure that any information we had that was relevant to her situation was passed on to her as well as those responsible for her security."
However, there was no indication that Miss Bhutto's team had followed through on the most critical of the recommendations, which included the hiring of private guards and reducing her visibility in large crowds like the one in Rawalpindi where she was killed.
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