Bombing Of Cafe In Islamabad Kills 8

The Taliban have renewed their bombing and attacks on Pakistani targets outside of their strongholds in the northwest section of Pakistani by bombing a cafe in the nation's capital. Here's some of the details at The Long War Journal:

Eight Pakistanis were killed and twenty were wounded in a bombing at a cafe in Islamabad. Today's attack is the latest in the Taliban's new terror campaign outside the tribal areas.
The bombing occurred at a restaurant on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital. The cafe was frequented by laborers and travelers, Daily Times reported. The bomb contained about eight pounds of explosives and left a one-foot deep crater. Witnesses indicated a child may have placed the bomb. Initial reports indicated a propane cylinder caused the explosion, but the cafe owner denied he used propane for fuel.

This of course is all about the Taliban (and al Qaeda) reacting to the government's continued military operations in the North West Frontier Provinces and also the government's new call to ban the Taliban. Typically, the Taliban try to reach out further into the country and in particular, into the country's metro areas when they are really feeling the pinch in their home neighborhoods. It's usually a good sign that the Taliban are feeling the heat when they call for such bombings in the capital or other major cities.

The Taliban figure that if they can take out enough citizens in Pakistan, the new government will cave from pressure from Pakistanis who fear the violence. It will be interesting to see if the new government will stick to its guns (pardon the pun) if we see several more of these types of bombings.

One of the parts of the article that I had not seen before was this:

On July 23, Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani and his cabinet were told that more than 8,000 foreign fighters were operating in the tribal areas.

Now THAT is a ton of bad guys in the NWFP! Now, I'm not sure how Pakistan plans to rid that area of all that evil but until they do, they will see these kinds of bombings for a very long time.

Eight killed in Islamabad bombing

Eight Pakistanis were killed and twenty were wounded in a bombing at a cafe in Islamabad. Today's attack is the latest in the Taliban's new terror campaign outside the tribal areas.
The bombing occurred at a restaurant on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital. The cafe was frequented by laborers and travelers, Daily Times reported. The bomb contained about eight pounds of explosives and left a one-foot deep crater. Witnesses indicated a child may have placed the bomb. Initial reports indicated a propane cylinder caused the explosion, but the cafe owner denied he used propane for fuel.
The Taliban have targeted cafes in Islamabad in the past. Last March, one civilian was killed and 15 wounded in a bombing at an Italian restaurant known to be frequented by foreigners. Twelve foreigners were wounded in the bombing.
The Taliban have reinitiated their attacks in Pakistan's major cities after the government refused to halt security operation in the Swat district and the Bajaur tribal agency. In response, the government recently outlawed the Pakistani Taliban and threatened to seize assets and detain senior leaders.
The Islamabad attack is the fifth major strike since Aug 20, and the seven since Aug. 12.
The bombing in Islamabad occurred the same day the Taliban targeted the senior US diplomat in Peshawar. The US consulate's principal officer and her driver evaded an ambush on the streets of Peshawar as she was driving to her office. Gunmen blocked the road an opened fire on her vehicle.
A suicide bomber killed 16 Pakistanis, including policemen, and wounded 20 in an attack on a police station in Swat on Aug. 23. A pair of bombers detonated outside the main gates of the Pakistani Ordnance Facility in Wah in Punjab province on Aug. 21. The day prior, a suicide bomber detonated in a hospital in Dera Ismail Khan. Thirty Pakistani civilians were killed and 25 were wounded.
Nine Pakistanis, including five policemen, were killed and more than 35 were wounded after a suicide bomber struck during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebration in the city of Lahore in Punjab province on Aug. 13.
The day prior, the Taliban took credit for a deadly bus bombing on a Pakistani Air Force bus in Peshawar. Thirteen Pakistanis, including 10 security officials, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in the provincial capital of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province.
The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terrorist groups maintain secure bases in Pakistan's tribal areas and in some of the settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province. These groups have established 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the tribal areas and the Northwest Frontier Province, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.
On July 23, Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani and his cabinet were told that more than 8,000 foreign fighters were operating in the tribal areas.