In the second major attack this week, a suicide bomber killed at least 54 people during a rally in the city of Quetta on Friday. Pakistan’s Taliban has claimed responsibility for this latest bombing, claiming that it would launch attacks in the United States and Europe “very soon.” Counterterrorism authorities in Washington are taking this threat seriously.
The Taliban claim that they are targeting Western nations, including the United States, in response to drone attacks that have been launched against their leadership in Pakistan. The White House condemned the attacks against Shiite Muslims this week, stating that it was “even more reprehensible” due to the attacks having taken place during the holy month of Ramadan. The Presidents prayers went out to the people of Pakistan during these trying times.
U.S. counterterrorism officials in Washington are taking this latest threat against the United States seriously. While plots have been uncovered in the recent past, this is the first time that the Taliban has publically announced its intentions to directly attack the U.S. With the United States going after the Taliban with unprecedented force, the terrorist organization is striking back. The question is, do the Taliban see their own demise in the near future and, if so, will this drive them to attempt another 9/11?
This latest attack in Pakistan came two days after the Pakistani Taliban was added to the counterterrorism list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, has been charged with plotting a bombing that left seven CIA agents dead at an American base in Afghanistan last year. With American forces killing many of their leaders, there is a fear that the Taliban is desperate enough to try anything, including going after U.S. targets.
This latest bombing in Pakistan left 160 wounded in addition to the approximately 54 dead. The Taliban claim the bombing was a direct result of the killing of radical Sunni clerics by Shiite extremists. "We take pride in taking responsibility for the Quetta attack," Qari Hussain Mehsud, a senior Pakistani Taliban and mentor of suicide bombers, told the Reuters news agency.
The Taliban announcement of upcoming attacks against the United States come after increased missile strikes made in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal region, where known Taliban military camps were located. Friday, drones fired missiles at two targets in the North Waziristan tribal region, killing seven militants. "We will launch attacks in America and Europe very soon," was the Taliban spokesmen’s response to the latest drone attacks.
The Pakistani Taliban has also claimed responsibility for a failed bombing attempt in New York’s Times Square in May. This failed attempt has concerned counterterrorism authorities in Washington, now that the Taliban has made public its threat to attack the United States. As the Government of Pakistan is under pressure by our own government to deal with known terrorists within their country, they also have mass flooding to deal with, adding pressure to an already devastating situation. The United States is also between a rock and a hard spot. The U.S. will have to either end the Taliban completely or live in constant threat of Taliban driven terrorist attacks.
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