Suicide bomb on UN breaks Pakistan's lull in major attacks
A suicide bomber wearing a uniform killed five people Monday after entering the UN's World Food Program office in Islamabad, Pakistan. Major attacks dropped after Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed in August. Is the lull over?
Lahore, Pakistan
A suicide bomber attacked the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in Islamabad on Monday, killing five people and injuring at least six.
The attack disrupted a two-month lull in major terrorist attacks in Pakistan that followed the death of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. It may have been carried out by militants seeking to avenge his death, some government officials and analysts say, though no one has yet claimed responsibility.
"You can't wish them away. They will strike when they feel there is a chance," says Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst at the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. "There was a brief lull while they were in disarray, but this may be changing."
Questions are likely to be raised after Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the attacker was able to enter the heavily fortified UN compound by wearing a uniform and asking to use the toilet.
The attack also raises concern about a possible setback to the WFP's efforts in assisting millions of Pakistanis displaced by Army offensives in the northwest.
