Dozens killed in bomb blast at Pakistani Marriott Hotel

The war on terror -- if such a thing can exist at all -- has a major battlefield in Pakistan. In the picture above you can see how easy it would be to drive a truck up and destroy much of the building -- I supose the hotel was not built with truck bombs in mind... .

At least 40 people were killed Saturday after a truck bomb exploded in front of the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, police said.

The bomb was detonated around 8 p.m. local time. It was powerful enough to destroy the front of the building and leave a crater 10 metres deep.

Pakistani Senator Tariq Azim Khan said he was about one kilometre away in his residence when he felt and heard the blast.

"A small truck containing about 300 kg of explosives blew up after crashing through the security barriers," he told CBC News.

Khan said it's possible the hotel was a secondary target. He said investigators speculate the primary targets were the parliamentary buildings, where about two hours earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari was addressing legislators.

James Morton
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