Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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It is a sad day for politics all around the world.

Less than an hour ago, I had just come out of my room here at our Forward Operating Base in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. We have been working all day long on making travel arrangements for home.

It’s been a little stressful because when we’re dealing with the military, trying to schedule flights and things, your plans may change at any minute, up to the last second you get on that plane/helicopter/whatever.

I saw Mary in the hallway and we decided we would go get dinner, on the way over we saw Debbie Lee on her way back from the ‘chow hall’. She was on her way back to resume trying to make the arrangements...by the time Mary and I made it to the mess hall and got our food to sit down, the big screen TVs were already running the headlines.

Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and recently returned political exile, who was campaigning in Pakistan for a return to power, has been assasinated in an apparent terrorist attack.

The perpetrator of this horrible crime shot Bhutto three times at point-blank range, then blew himself up, taking the lives of 20 other Pakistanis, in a terrible suicide bombing. Early statements from the Pakistani government blame terrorists, and judging by their tactics, this would make sense. Who knows which group is responsible. Whoever did it, this is a deplorable action which will not go unpunished.

I am sure that President Bush is on the phone with Musharrif right now, ensuring him that our finest special forces and investigators are available to give whatever help he needs to bring those responsible to justice.

I can’t say for certain who could be responsible for these attacks. Already there are people in Pakistan pointing the finger at Musharrif himself. I doubt he would do such a thing but I guess anything is possible. Al Qaeda may have been behind it, which I think sounds the most probable ( they have threatened Bhutto AND Musharrif before ) but even if it was another organization, it does not matter. It goes to show that Al Qaeda and terrorist organizations LIKE them represent a GLOBAL problem.

I can only imagine how difficult it would be to control terrorism if our troops were pulled out of Iraq and there was no one to keep order.

In any case, I am sure more news on this will be coming out shortly, for now, all I can offer is my own condolences and those of all of us here at Move America Forward in Iraq tonight. Debbie Lee and Mary Pearson both expressed their sadness and concern to me earlier.

To the family of Benazir Bhutto, you are in our thoughts and prayers in Baghdad tonight…
God rest you in peace, Benazir Bhutto