Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a man who crowded near the two time Prime Minister in the garrison town of Rawalpindi this morning. Ms. Bhutto had just finished addressing a large crowd of supporters and was exiting the rally at Rawalpindi's Liaqat Bagh Park. As Ms. Bhutto was leaving the Park by the rear gate onto Murree road, she was shot twice in the neck and chest by an assailant. The gunman subsequently blew himself up killing nearly a score bystanders after committing the assault.

This craven, cowardly and dastardly act was claimed to have been committed by al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the terror group's commander in neighboring Afghanistan claimed in an interview with a reporter that the attack was ordered back in October by Ayman al Zawahri the number two leader of the infamous terror group in that country.

This outrageous action will make Pakistan's process of moving toward a true democracy more difficult while opposition groups aligned against President Pervez Musharraf try and field a viable candidate to stand against the ruling government in the parliamentary elections slated for January 8th of 2008.

World leaders universally condemmed the assassination and President Musharraf promissed to hunt down and bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

Ms. Bhutto was a patriot to her country and despite previous troubles with allegations of pernicious corruption of her administration during her tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan she truly was a brave woman who felt called to lead her people out of the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones as well as those of the innocent people who died as a result of this barbarous, despicable and indefensible act.

One can only hope that the country will proceed with the scheduled parliamentary elections on January 8th as promised by Musharraf. The successful implementation of the country's upcoming vote will sound the death knell of al Qaeda and their allies in Asia.