Dinah Lord

Caught on camera: The moment Muslim bomber 'splodes hisself.

It was a birthday party for the Prophet Mo at a mosque in Sri Lanka.   Those Muslims sure know how to throw a party, don't they?  Makes the American tradition of the old birthday cake and all the jokes about calling the fire department because of all the birthday candles seem pretty tame, doesn't it?

"Happy Birthday to Mo, happy birthday to..."

Fourteen were killed, many more were injured and the Religion of Peace strikes again.

Pakistan: Mastermind of Cricket attack eludes capture.

Update from the Asian Age.

"The security agencies conducted raids at several places after identifying Aqil, who has links to a banned militant group.

However, the name of the group was not revealed. Though Aqil, who hails from Kahuta, managed to escape, his accomplice Talat was captured, Geo News channel quoted sources as saying. Talat and Aqil had been living a in flat near the Liberty traffic roundabout..."

From Bloomberg:

A man suspected of masterminding the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan last week fled before police raided his home in Punjab today, The Times of London reported.

Mohammed Aqeel fled his home in the Khauta district in Pakistan’s Punjab province before an early-morning raid that captured an associate identified as Talat, the newspaper reported, citing police and unidentified security officials.

Aqeel, a member of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Sunni militant group, is accused of organizing the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore last week that killed eight people and injured seven, the newspaper said.

Police have detained more than two dozen suspects in the attack in raids in Punjab, most of whom belonged to Lashkar-e- Jhangvi or another militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, the newspaper said.

Can you say terror haven?  (Voice of America radio can't.) 

Pakistani government officials fear "that most of the gunmen involved in the attack have fled to the lawless tribal regions in Pakistan's North West Frontier".  Musharraf is calling the attack "a conspiracy" against Pakistan although he neglects to indicate just who the conspirators are.

Pakistan and the Sri Lanka Cricket team: A wicked googly.

GOOGLY:  a deceptive spinning delivery by a leg spin bowler, also known (particularly in Australia) as the wrong 'un. For a right-hander bowler and a right-handed batsman, a googly will turn from the off side to the leg side. Developed by Bosanquet around 1900, and formerly called a bosie or bosey.

And there's still deceptive spinning all over the place when it comes to Pakistan and the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team.

 Attack on SL team:  5 arrested from different cities (48 hour rule in effect on this one, possums).  The intelligence agencies investigating into the recent attack on the Sri Lankan team, has arrested from different cities 5 people including 2 who were allegedly involved in taking active part in the attacks.  According to sources, the arrested had been staying in Lahore where they were receving help from different cities. ... The evidence collected during initial investigation into the incident indicates involvement of Indian spy agency RAW, source said.  The report regarding arrest of the terrorists is likely to be made public in the next 18 hours.

The blame game is going full tilt.  Nawaz blames PPP for security lapses in 3/3 cricket team attack.  Leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday the security, escorting Sri Lankan players, failed to protect guests amid Lahore attacks as the government was bent upon derailing PML (N) government in Punjab adding, “This incident could have been avoided if PPP would be sincere to our government in Punjab.” In an interview to a US magazine Sharif charged the Sri Lankan cricket team ambush shows the security system has collapsed in Pakistan since the government took office a year ago. The fallout from Tuesday's attack is adding to political problems facing the shaky government just as US wants it to stay focused on the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Sri Lanka is distancing itself from claims of Indian involvement but doesn't rule out the possibility of LTTE involvement.   "Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who visited Pakistan yesterday to discuss the progress in the probe into the audacious gun and grenade attack, brushed aside several questions on alleged Indian links to the incident during two interactions with the media. Bogollagama told reporters that India is backing Sri Lanka's counter-terrorism actions and Colombo had been "able to succeed on many fronts due to this support". Sri Lanka appreciates India's support in this regard, he said as he swept aside queries on New Delhi's "hegemonic" designs and on Indian intelligence agencies allegedly being linked to the attack on the cricket team." 

For it's part, LTTE is blaming India.

And Pakistan is all over the lot, in addition to the masked men above, there's this report blaming al Qaeda and seemingly absolving India.  Not to be outdone, The Pakistani CID have issued a report claiming that agents of India's RAW were responsible.  This report claims that an as yet unidentified banned religious group was responsible.  There's this report that a terror suspect has been identified among the guests at the hotel where the cricket teams were staying - he purportedly acted as a scout and relayed the team's activities to the rest of the attackers.  The reward for information regarding the attacks has been set at $125,000 US.

Meanwhile members of the team are recuperating in hospital.  "Two Sri Lankan cricketers injured during a gun and grenade attack in Pakistan were recovering Thursday after surgery, with the rest of those hurt likely be back in action in a few weeks, a doctor said."

It's just not cricket...

Okay, let me get this straight.  The Sri Lankan cricket team undergoes a terrorist attack on Pakistani soil and it's the Pakistanis who are filing a complaint against them???

From the Times Online.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged a formal a protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over remarks made by match referee Chris Broad after the terrorist attacks in Lahore.

Broad accused the Pakistani authorities of leaving players and match officials as “sitting ducks”, as masked gunmen killed eight Pakistanis, including the driver of Mr Broad’s minibus and six policemen, and injured six Sri Lankan players and a British assistant coach.

"It's unfortunate that a gentleman of such a stature is saying such a thing," Ejaz Butt, the PCBchairman, said. "There is not a single bit of truth in his statements."

In Ejaz Butt's mind 8 dead policemen and 6 injured cricketers equals an 'unfortunate incident'.  Meanwhile Bangladesh has cancelled next week's home stand against Pakistan.  Can you blame them?

Update:  Perhaps Mr. Butt should review his facts before issuing complaints and getting all offended by THE TRUTH...

From AFP.

Pakistan came under new criticism about its security forces Thursday as dramatic footage emerged of the cricket attackers making a leisurely getaway from the scene of their deadly assault. The images of the gunmen calmly walking off, without police or security forces chasing them, will add to speculation swirling around Tuesday's brazen daytime attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team that left eight people dead.

...

The new footage, captured by closed-circuit cameras, showed two suspects wearing rucksacks and ambling down the road, apparently untroubled after the carnage took place. They then jump on motorbikes and speed off.

Kind of like they planned it that way.

"We were sitting ducks..." says Cricket official.

<---Photofits of some of the suspected gunmen. Still on the loose

(Editor's note:  I wrote a huge post on the Sri Lanka Cricket team attack in Pakistan last night, but in keeping with my technical tradition it vanished into the ether without a trace.  I pick up the thread today.)

Officials claim they were sitting ducks.

And why was the Pakistani bus's departure delayed when it had traveled in tandem with the Sri Lankan bus on previous trips?

 

And did you know the name of the stadium they were going to?  Gaddafi. 

What's that tell you?

“When we were in the van we were not aware of what was going on outside. After the incident, when we were able to watch the television pictures, we could quite clearly see the white van we were in next to the white ambulance in the middle of the roundabout, with terrorists shooting past the van and sometimes into the van and not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had clearly gone and left the scene and left us as sitting ducks. I am extremely angry. Questions need to be asked of Pakistani security — it wasn’t there when we needed it. It was appalling.”

Mr Broad asked why the Pakistani team bus was delayed. “On the first two days (of the Test) both buses left at the same time with escorts,” he said. “On this particular day the Pakistan bus left five minutes after the Sri Lankan bus. Why?” His remarks are embarrassing for Pakistan’s Government, which has said that its security arrangements were sufficient for such an event. Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said: “How can he say that when six policemen died in the attack? I will talk to him tomorrow and then give my full reaction.”

More from the gang who couldn't shoot straight...

Mehar Mohammed Khalil, the driver of the Sri Lankan team bus, said that he was happy with the security, which included a police escort of four vans, each carrying six armed officers, and four police outriders on motorcycles.

He could not understand, however, why at least 24 armed officers had been unable to hit even one of the attackers during the 15-minute shoot- out. “I thought it was very strange that the bullets fired by the elite police didn’t hit the attackers.”

Mr Broad said that there were armed police lining the route between the teams’ hotel and Gaddafi stadium. “How did the terrorists come to the roundabout and these guys not do anything about it? There were plenty of police there,” he said.

Including the policeman who was actually responsible for delaying the Pakistani bus and who has since gone missing.  Did cop delay Sri Lankan cricket bus on purpose?

Some players in the team have confirmed that a policeman on duty at the team hotel has been missing since the attack on the Lankan cricket team, in which six players and an official were wounded.

"We were supposed to leave the hotel for the stadium around 8.35 am, five minutes after the Sri Lankans left, but this policeman kept on delaying our departure for another few crucial minutes," a player said.

He said the team's liaison officer had to finally ask the policeman to allow the team bus to proceed to the stadium, as they were getting late for preparations for the day's play.

Was it the missing policeman or an anonymous call luring the Sri Lanka team into an ambush?  Like pretty much everything coming out of the region - the 48 hour rule applies.

A last-minute call by an unidentified person led the city police to change the route of the bus taking the Sri Lankan cricket team to Gaddafi stadium here, a media report said on Wednesday. An unknown caller asked the police to use the Gulberg route leading to the stadium instead of travelling along Ferozpur road as decided, The News daily quoted Interior Ministry sources as saying. Police followed the caller’s instructions without ascertaining his identity, the report said. This led to the police falling into a “trap”, the sources said. The driver of the cricket team’s bus told investigators that the terrorists were locals and had spoken in a Punjabi accent, The News reported.

About the van driver killed in the attack.  Slain Pakistani driver pays for love of cricket.

A driver of 15 years and cricket crazy like many of his countrymen, Khan had expected to go home to his village  to finalise the dates for his eldest daughter's wedding once the Lahore match was over.

Instead, his body was taken there, after prayers were offered for him and the six Pakistani policemen who also died in the bloody assault by a dozen unidentified gunmen.

Who could be behind the assault?  The usual suspects.  You pick.

LASHKAR-E-TAIBA
TEHRIK-E-TALIBAN
JAISH-E-MOHAMMAD
BALUCH GROUPS
SRI LANKA'S TAMIL TIGERS

and don't forget
'the foreign hand'.