Zardari's security chief assassinated in suicide attack.

[illusion8]

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's security chief was killed in a suspected suicide bomb attack in the volatile port city of Karachi on Wednesday as he stopped his armoured vehicle to buy some fruit, police said.

A senior officer in Pakistan's financial capital told Reuters that Bilal Shaikh - Zardari's close aide - was killed along with two other people in a prosperous area of eastern Karachi. About a dozen others were wounded.

"It seems that the suicide attacker walked up to Bilal Shaikh's vehicle and blew himself up outside the front passenger seat of the vehicle where Shaikh was seated," said police officer Raja Umar Khattab.

Pakistan has been hit by a spate of bombings since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn in last month, underscoring the challenges facing the nuclear-armed nation in taming a Taliban-linked insurgency.

A police escort was accompanying Shaikh's white armoured sports utility vehicle when the attack took place. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

Shaikh - who had survived an earlier assassination attempt near his home in Karachi about a year ago - used to change his routes several times while travelling around Karachi, one of Pakistan's most violent cities.

Both Zardari and Sharif have issued separate statements condemning the incident, a private television channel reported.


Read more at: Asif Ali Zardari's security chief assassinated in suicide attack : Pakistan, News - India Today

He was attacked in 2011 as well, wasn't lucky this time.


http://www.defence.pk/forums/social...-gunmen-attack-zardaris-security-officer.html

 

[shuntmaster]

KARACHI: A bomb attack killed a senior aide to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday and at least two other people in the country's business capital Karachi, officials said.

The bomb exploded in a middle-class neighbourhood in central Karachi, close to an office for Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which rules southern Sindh province.

Zardari was at his official residence around 10 kilometres (six miles) away when the attack was carried out, officials said.

"It was a bomb blast and at least three people were killed and 10 others were wounded," police official Tahir Naveed told AFP.

Another police official, Usman Bajwa, said Bilal Sheikh, Zardari's top personal security officer in Karachi, was among those killed.

"I can confirm that Bilal Sheikh has expired," Bajwa told AFP.

Bajwa told reporters that pieces of human flesh at the scene indicate it "might" have been a suicide attack but said "it's just an assumption so far".

Naveed said the bomb was so powerful it shattered the bullet-proof vehicle in which Sheikh had been travelling.

Sheikh, his driver and a passer-by were killed, he added.

Both Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PPP's biggest rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-N party, strongly condemned the attack, state media said.

Ejaz Durrani, spokesman for Bilawal House, Zardari's official residence in Karachi, said the president was in the city but had no schedule to travel on Wednesday.

Instead, Sheikh and his driver had gone to buy food for Ramadan, the holy Muslim fasting month, which begins on Thursday.

Sheikh had survived two previous attempts on his life, but had remained committed to the PPP cause, Durrani said.

Sheikh had been in charge of security for Zardari's wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto when she returned to Karachi from exile on October 18, 2007.

Bomb attacks targeting her homecoming killed around 140 people. Bhutto survived, but was assassinated by a gun and suicide attack on December 27, 2007.

Sheikh had also been in charge of Zardari's private residence in the capital Islamabad, and when he became president in 2008 Sheikh was appointed his personal chief security officer, Durrani said. (AFP)

 

[Kompromat]

Rest in peace.

 

[arushbhai]

He thought the heavily armoured double cabin v8 truck could save his life. When your time is up, its up. No if or buts.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

bummer. . .

could be personal enmity or perhaps to send a message of some sort, who knows

 

[Jango]

He thought the heavily armoured double cabin v8 truck could save his life. When your time is up, its up. No if or buts.

Vigo/Hilux isn't V8.

 

[bornmoron]

Everywhere same story,,,,always security guys & common man gets killed..
Useless Terrorists..

 

[Awesome]

He thought the heavily armoured double cabin v8 truck could save his life. When your time is up, its up. No if or buts.

Was it bomb proof? I think only bullet proof.

Horrible news.

 

[arushbhai]

Vigo/Hilux isn't V8.

The engines are upgraded to sustain the weight of all the Armoured attached to the truck. Not only that, they have to be powerful enough to leave the area as fast as possible in case of an ambush.

 

[Jango]

Was it bomb proof? I think only bullet proof.

Horrible news.

It would have provided enough protection...the damage happened because the door was opened.

 

[muse]

Once again , an inside job -- consider, having chosen the suicide bomber, the bomber would have to be prepared, not just weaponized, but emotionally fortified, positioned, the bomber would have to be brought to the site, not hours before the attack, that's too much time for things to go wrong -- So you have to have details about the target's movements, and in particular his movement whereabouts on the day and time of the proposed attack.

 

[Jango]

Once again , an inside job -- consider, having chosen the suicide bomber, the bomber would have to be prepared, not just weaponized, but emotionally fortified, positioned, the bomber would have to be brought to the site, not hours before the attack, that's too much time for things to go wrong -- So you have to have details about the target's movements, and in particular his movement whereabouts on the day and time of the proposed attack.

The bomber was following the target...when the target stopped, the bomber blew himself up.

 

[muse]

Bajwa said Sheikh and his driver had gone to buy food for Ramazan, the fasting month, when his vehicle was targeted. "He had never taken this route before, and he always had security with him," he said.

Sheikh had survived two previous attempts on his life.

No militant group has claimed responsibility of the attack as yet, but the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan have previously targeted the Pakistan People's Party for it's "secular views".

President Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “strongly condemned” the attack, state media said.

I think it's important that the story is played as "his VEHICLE was targeted" --and that he had not taken that route before - now if he was being followed? Missed by his entire security? riding arond on a motorcycle or car with a suicide bomber??

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

His movements were studied though most likely he was tipped off.

Audacious attack in broad daylight.

 

[illusion8]

He was attacked in 2011 as well - what happened about that case? why weren't the culprits caught after that?