Suicide Bomber Strikes Near Pakistani Facility That May Have Nukes, Seven Killed

It seems that we can't go more than a month or so without a reminder of just how vulnerable nuclear weapons actually are in Pakistan. Yesterday, a suicide bomber on a bicycle set off his explosives at a checkpoint leading to an air force facility that supposedly stocks nuclear warheads. From the article at Fox News:

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra is the country's major air force maintenance and research hub.
Some foreign military experts have mentioned it as a possible place to keep planes that can carry nuclear warheads, but the army, which does not reveal where its nuclear-related facilities are, strongly denies that the facility is tied to the program in any way.
A lone homicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself at a checkpoint on a road leading to the complex, around 30 miles from the capital, Islamabad. Police officer Akbar Abbas blamed the Taliban for the attack.

Now, I agree with the police officer that this was a Taliban attack - the Taliban have often used suicide bombers on bicycles while al Qaeda is much more fond of vehicle borne explosives and also having multiple vehicles involved.

One issue on this bombing is intent. Sure, this bomber killed seven but I believe the real intent of this was to test the security - how far could this bomber get in to the facility and just what happened after the explosion. Al Qaeda would look at this event and use that information to further strategize a multiple car or truck bombing in the future.

(Hat tip: Sharku)

Blasts at Pakistan Air Base, Wedding Bus Kill 24


ISLAMABAD — A homicide bomber killed seven people near a major air force complex in northwest Pakistan on Friday, while an explosion killed 17 on a bus heading to wedding elsewhere in the region, the latest in a surge of militant attacks this month.
Also, a car bomb in the northwest's main city wounded 15 people.
The bloodshed has coincided with the run-up and first week of a major army offensive in a Taliban and Al Qaeda stronghold along the Afghan border. Around 200 people have died as the insurgents have shown they can strike in a variety of ways and places in the nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied nation.
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra is the country's major air force maintenance and research hub.
Some foreign military experts have mentioned it as a possible place to keep planes that can carry nuclear warheads, but the army, which does not reveal where its nuclear-related facilities are, strongly denies that the facility is tied to the program in any way.
A lone homicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself at a checkpoint on a road leading to the complex, around 30 miles from the capital, Islamabad. Police officer Akbar Abbas blamed the Taliban for the attack.

The seven dead included two troops. Some 13 people were wounded.
Hours later, a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of a recreational facility in Peshawar, the main city in the northwest. Fifteen people were wounded. The facility includes a restaurant, a swimming pool, a health club and a marriage hall.
"It is part of the violence we are seeing across Pakistan these days," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the region's information minister.
Soon after, reports emerged of the blast that struck the bus, which was traveling in the Mohmand tribal region. Four women and three children were among the 17 killed, said Zabit Khan, a local government official.
"It appears to be a remote-controlled bomb, and militants might have hit the bus mistakenly," Khan told The Associated Press.
Mohmand, like other parts of Pakistan's tribal belt, has been a magnet for Taliban militants. The military has carried out operations there in the past aimed at clearing out insurgents but trouble still flares.
There have been at least nine major militant attacks this month, most against police or army targets.
Some have been explosions, while others have involved teams of gunmen staging raids. In one of the most brazen attacks, gunmen attacked the army headquarters close to the capital and held hostages inside the complex for 22 hours.
Pakistan is under intense pressure to eliminate Islamist militant groups sheltering in its northwest that also attack U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. The military has battled them in various districts, losing hundreds of soldiers, but questions remain about its overall strategic commitment to the fight.
It began its current offensive in South Waziristan tribal region seven days ago.
The army has previously moved into South Waziristan three times since 2004. Each time it has suffered high casualties and signed peace deals that left insurgents with effective control of the region. Western officials say Al Qaeda now uses it and neighboring North Waziristan as an operations and training base.