Final thoughts on the Bhutto-Pakistan situation for this year - UPDATED with video

I had decided not to post any more on Benazir Bhutto's assassination, but then I saw the following article from the New York Sun, and I decided one LAST article was required. It seems clear that the Pakistan government is spinning a yarn on what happened to Bhutto. As I said when she was first killed, we will probably never know the real truth. But we can see obvious lies when confronted with them.

Qaeda Eyed in Slaying of Bhutto Assassination Is Laid to Team of Precision Snipers

WASHINGTON — American and Pakistani military leaders are seeking to account for what may be renegade commando units from the Pakistani military's special forces in the wake of the assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.

The attack yesterday at Rawalpindi bore the hallmarks of a sophisticated military operation. At first, Bhutto's rally was hit by a suicide bomb that turned out to be a decoy. According to press reports and a situation report of the incident relayed to The New York Sun by an American intelligence officer, Bhutto's armored limousine was shot by multiple snipers whose armor-piercing bullets penetrated the vehicle, hitting the former premier five times in the head, chest, and neck. Two of the snipers then detonated themselves shortly after the shooting, according to the situation report, while being pursued by local police.

A separate attack was thwarted at the local hospital where Bhutto possibly would have been revived had she survived the initial shooting. Also attacked yesterday was a rival politician, Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister who took power after Bhutto lost power in 1996.

A working theory, according to this American source, is that Al Qaeda or affiliated jihadist groups had effectively suborned at least one unit of Pakistan's Special Services Group, the country's equivalent of Britain's elite SAS commandos. This official, however, stressed this was just a theory at this point. Other theories include that the assassins were trained by Qaeda or were from other military services, or the possibility that the assassins were retired Pakistani special forces.

"They just killed the most protected politician in the whole country," this source said. "We really don't know a lot at this point, but the first thing that is happening is we are asking the Pakistani military to account for every black team with special operations capabilities." (continue reading)

Revealed: Pakistan hosed away evidence at Bhutto attack scene, violated law requiring autopsy..., The Raw Story

Pakistanis blame Musharraf - Official death toll: 38 - Gov't: OK to exhume - Musharraf cracks down - Bhutto buried - Aides: It's a cover-up - al-Qaeda accused - Witness: Musharraf police left their posts before attack

On Friday, doctors at Rawalpindi General Hospital, where she died, said that Bhutto had been killed by shrapnel to the head from an explosion, not by two bullets that Bhutto supporters cited in the aftermath of the attack. Bhutto, 54, was killed as in the aftermath of a shooting and suicide bombing as she left a political rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

The government soon changed their story, saying she'd been killed by hitting the sunroof of her LandCruiser after she'd stood up to wave to a crowd. Doctors said there were no bullet marks on the former prime minister's body, and released a limited x-ray of what they said was her skull. (continue reading)

Also see:
UNIQUE PAKISTAN: THE IMPLICATIONS OF BHUTTO’S MURDER, The Midnight Sun with quotes from Gates of Vienna article, " Benazir Bhutto’s Death Will Stabilize Pakistan" by Baron Bodissey
With Bhutto Gone” - al Qaeda Remains Important, at Stormwarning's Counterterrorism Blog
Decoding Bhutto's Death, at Islamanazi
The Bhutto Assassination and Islam's War on Pakistan, The American Thinker
Libel, the UK, and the Internet (Updated) - Bhutto Assassinated, LaShawn Barber's Corner
Huckabee Obsesses about 660 Pakistani Aliens; Clinton's 5 Point Plan, at Informed Comment

UPDATE: Sky News has video of the assassination here.

Stills from the video via WND:

Gunman takes aim at Bhutto

View from rear of motorcade: Gunman takes aim at Bhutto

Assassin in crowd before shooting

That doesn't look like a sniper rifle to me, but ...
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Comments

[MK]

I still think this is al-qaeda, perhaps the Pakistani government or elements within knew about it, but i don't think Musharraf knew. Remember that they've tried to kill him numerous times as well, and those were suspected as part inside jobs.

[PALADIN]

I DOUBT WE,LL EVER KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO PULLED THIS OFF. THE FACT COULD BE THAT THE I.S.I. KNEW ALL ALONG THAT AL QAEDA WAS GOING TO PULL IT OFF AND DID,NT DO NOTHING TO STOP THEM. THE SPECIAL SERVICE BRANCH OF THE PAKI ARMY IS THE SORRIEST BUNCH OF SO CALLED ELITE TROOPS THAT I,VE EVER SEEN. PLEASE DON,T COMPARE THEM TO THE S.A.S. HELL THEY WOULD,NT MAKE A PIMPLE ON A S.A.S. TROOPERS BUTT!!!!!! THE FACT IS THAT THEY ARE NOTHING BUT THIRD WORLD DIRTBAGS AND THUGS WHO DO THE BIDDING OF THE HIGHEST BIDDER. BE IT AL QUEDA OR MUSHARRAF HIMSELF. COULD SOME OF THESE DIRTBAGS BE ON THE SIDE OF AL QUEDA? CERTAINLY. BUT I DOUBT THIS WAS A SPECIAL SERVICE OP. I THINK THAT IS PURE B.S. B.T.W. OUR LADS IN THE ROYAL 22e REGIMENT IN THE KANDAHAR REGION HAVE CAPTURED A NUMBER OF STURM AUSTRIAN MADE .50 CAL SNIPER RIFLES LAST WEEK AFTER A BATTLE NEAR THE BORDER WITH PAKISTAN. I HAVE,NT HEARD YET IF IT WAS AN ARMS CACHE THEY CAPTURED OR THEY TOOK EM OFF OF DIRTBAGS THEY XED OUT.

[Skunkfeathers]

Personally, I don't doubt the hand of Al Qaeda/Al Qaida in this: they are in up to their necks with the Taliban, and Bhutto was every bit a threat to their objectives. No, I can't rule out Musharraf's thugs; but it does bear the mark of Al Qaeda/Qaida.

And bear in mind that when terrorists are prepared to go any length -- including suicide -- to negate a target, they can be duece difficult to stop. All the more reason to stop them over there...and not have to do so over here.

[Karen]

I've heard some say since the bullets were armor piercing kind, it was probably al-Qaeda. We'll probably never know. I thought it was fishy that an autopsy wasn't done, but I don't know the tradition on that in Pakistan. The Sun article is very interesting. Thanks for posting it.

[courtneyme109]

1st off, thank you very much for staying on this story Debbie. Looks like the regime in Islamabad (ever notice the english language pun inherent in that burg's name?) is striking out - the intercepted Al Qaeda phone call that Al Qaeda is disputing, the lethal Land Rover door handle and recent claims that there are no Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

Musharrif may not be able to withstand this politically.

[Angel]

yay they let me sign in again to comment here Deb!,,happy days are here again!.heh!