Taliban Terrorists Attack Pakistani Hotel Killing 11 and Wounding 50

(The following is based on a New York City Police Department intelligence report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police Terrorism Committee.) Two vehicles and gunmen on foot attacked Pakistan's Pearl Continental Hotel on Tuesday at 11:00 PM (Pakistani time) killing 11 people and wounding another 50. Among the dead was a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to Detective Richard Kaminski of the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau.

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According to the NYPD Shields report, the two vehicles approach the hotel in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and attempted to breack security. Police officers in guard duty opened fire on the vehicles, immediately killing two suspects in a car. The second vehicle, disguised as a delivery truck, managed to enter the hotel parking lot and exploded. The report indicates that the gunmen on foot had stormed the hotel premises just before the detonation of the improvised explosive device, which contained over 1,000 pounds of explosives. The attackers were members of the Taliban, who have attacked other facilities in the Peshawar area, according to the NYPD intelligence report. Among the victims killed in the terrorist attack were two UN World Food Program officials and members of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in Pakistan. Those wounded included a Pakistani Senator, a Province Minister, and two flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines. No Americans were killed or wounded in this brutal attack. The Pearl Continental is a five-star hotel popular with foreigners especially UN and NGO staffs. These organizations reportedly provide aid to more than three million refugees in the Peshawar area. This attack comes in the wake of threats from Taliban leaders, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud, to retaliate for the government's recent offensive against terrorist activities. The tactics employed by the attackers are similar to the May 27, 2009 attack in Lahore, which targeted buildings belonging to the Inter-services Intelligence Directorate and the Pakistani police. According to the NYPD intelligence report, UN and NGO facilities remain favorite targets for a variety of terrorist groups. Hotels are attractive alternatives to military and police targets. The Pearl Continental Hotel was considered to be in a “high security area.”

Major Attacks in Pakistan

According to the NYPD Shields report, this latest attack is one in a series. Other terrorist attacks include:

• May 27, 2009: Gunmen attack police facilities.
• March 30, 2009: Gunmen attack police academy outside Lahore.
• March 27, 2009: Suicide bomber demolishes a mosque near Jamrud.
• March 3, 2009: Gunmen attack the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
• Sept. 20, 2008: Suicide truck bomb devastates the Marriott hotelin Islamabad.
• Sept. 6, 2008: A suicide car bombing in Peshawar.
• August 21, 2008: Suicide bombers attack a weapons factory in Wah.
• March 11, 2008: Suicide bombs rip through police headquarters in Lahore.
• January 10, 2008: Suicide bomber attacks High Court in Lahore.
• December 27, 2007: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto killed in Rawalpindi.

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