Pak Taliban claims responsibility for attack on US consulate

Peshawar, May 20: Pakistani Taliban on May 20 claimed responsibility for the lethal attack on US consulate envoy in Peshawar that left one dead and 12 injured. The dead was a Pakistani while among the injured two were Americans.

According to the police, the attack that took place on a main road in an area where many western diplomats lived involved about 50 kilograms of explosives. They also said that the attack was done through a car bomb which was detonated by remote control as the convoy passed.

Alberto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the US embassy was quoted by the Reuters as saying, "There was an attack on a two-car convoy from the consulate in Peshawar. One car was hit. We are still investigating what actually happened."

Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar has been a hotbed of terrorist activities and has seen many operations by the Taliban seeking to overthrow the US backed Pakistani government.

It was the third such attack after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALS in a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2. Significantly, this is the first attack on Westerners since bin Laden's death on May 2.

It can be recollected that soon after the death of Osama bin Laden, Taliban had vowed revenge and in a call to Reuters from an undisclosed location said, "The diplomatic staff of all NATO countries are our targets...We will continue such attacks. Pakistan is our first target, and America is our second."

OneIndia News