Islamabad
15 March 2008
A bomb explosion at a restaurant in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killed a foreign woman and wounded at least 11 others, including American nationals, on Saturday night. From Islamabad, Ayaz Gul reports.
Witnesses say the bomb went off in the dining area of an Italian restaurant frequented by foreigners.
Police and ambulances rushed to the scene and transported the victims to the two main hospitals in Islamabad. The wounded include personnel working at the U.S. and British embassies in Islamabad.
Officials say the woman who died in the blast was a Turkish national working as a nurse in the U.S embassy.
Speaking to reporters on the scene, interior ministry spokesman Kamal Shah refused to discuss possible motives for the attack, saying a high-level investigation is underway. "It's premature to comment on how it happened and, as far as the motive is concerned, only investigation would prove and establish (that)," he said.
President Pervez Musharraf, a close U.S ally in the war on terror, has condemned the blast saying this will not break Pakistan's resolve to fight terrorism.
Saturday's bombing is the first attack targeting foreigners in a recent wave of extremist violence that has left more than five hundred people dead this year.
Authorities blame al-Qaida linked Islamic militants for the attacks.