Marriott hotel bombing, Islamabad

Joe

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No opinions on this one?

Here's my take:

Truck bombs, even 700-1000kg ones, don't leave 20 feet deep craters in the road. Common explosives, especially those available to cave-dwelling bearded bogey men, follow the path of least resistance and explode outwards.

marriott2.jpg


Note the water in the hole in the photo above. Underground pipes, access point for a more sophisticated device, of military origin perhaps?

Then there was the explosion itself. People were rocked by it 22kms away! From personal experience, even 1000 or 1500lb conventional bombs don't carry anywhere near that far. Check out some of the testimonies:
I was [...] nearly 22 kilometres away. The shocking part is that the blast was so intense that it shook the entire city and all of us came running out of the house thinking that it was just a few metres away.

It was a huge and massive blast. My office is 15 kilometres away from the Marriott Hotel and we were having dinner and suddenly we heard a horrible noise. It was like an earthquake.
So it is unlikely that this was the work of terrorists with the standard bomb material to which they have access. Of course, there are terrorists that have access to much more sophisticated material.

Look at this photo:

marriott5.jpg


Apparently, the security gate was right where the crater is. But look further up and you see an access road that appears to have no barrier and which leads right up to the front of the hotel. Why not use this open access road?

Check out the video of the alleged bomb arriving at the check point

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7h61x53Ios

Strangely, this CC video is in slow mo for the arrival and in fast mo for the latter part after the cab has ignited, very possibly caused by a timed incendiary device.

Even in slow mo, it seems that the truck is not moving very fast on arrival at the security gate and makes no real effort to get through. Surely a would-be bomber would try and ram the gates and get closer to the hotel?

Could the truck have been driverless? If someone was in the cab, wouldn't the security guards have tried talking to him during those several minutes between arrival of the truck, the blowing out of the windshield and the eventual igniting of the cab?

The problem is that there is no video that shows the alleged main explosion. Supposely sometime after the video is cut off, the explosives, allegedly in the back of the truck detonated as a result of the fire in the cab spreading. Now that's a REALLY novel (and very suspect) way to set off a bomb. Still, we have no evidence of a single large explosion, quite the contrary actually

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/21/pakistan.terrorism

"Imtiaz Gul, a journalist, was dining with friends in the marquee when the attack happened. 'First there was a blast and then all the electricity went out ... then it came back on and there was a second much bigger blast or a series of deafening blasts,' he said."

So we may be dealing with multiple blasts here. Could that perhaps be the cause of the fire that then engulfed the hotel?

marriott_fire_1.jpg


The official story is that the blast ruptured a gas pipe and that is what started the fire, but there was a story in several Pakistan daily newspapers that a US embassy van was seen arriving at the hotel on the 16th, the same day as the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, and US Marines were seen entering the hotel with steel boxes that they refused to submit to a security check:

http://www.daily.pk/politics/politicalnews/7419-was-marriott-hotel-islamabad-an-attack-on-us-marines-and-what-was-stored-on-floors-4-and-5-us-military-equipment

Was there a top secret and mysterious operation of the US Marines going on inside the Marriott when it was attacked on Saturday evening? No one will confirm it but circumstantial evidence is in abundance.

Witnessed by many, including a PPP MNA and his friends, a US embassy truckload of steel boxes was unloaded and shifted inside the Marriott Hotel on the same night when Admiral Mike Mullen met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others in Islamabad.

Both the main gates (the entrance and the exit) of the hotel were closed while no one except the US Marines were either allowed to go near the truck or get the steel boxes unloaded or shift them inside the hotel. These steel boxes were not passed through the scanners installed at the entrance of the hotel lobby and were reportedly shifted to the fourth and fifth floors of the Marriott.

Besides several others, PPP MNA Mumtaz Alam Gilani and his two friends, Sajjad Chaudhry, a PPP leader, and one Bashir Nadeem, witnessed this mysterious activity to which no one other than the PPP MNA objected and protested.

A source present there told that after entertaining them with refreshments at the Nadia restaurant at midnight when Mumtaz Alam, along with his friends, was to leave the hotel, he found a white US embassy truck standing right in front of the hotel's main entrance.

Both the In-gate and the Out-gate of the hotel were closed while almost a dozen well-built US Marines in their usual fatigues were unloading the steel boxes from the truck. No one, including the hotel security men, was either allowed to go near the truck or touch the steel boxes, which were being shifted inside the hotel but without passing through the scanners.

Upon inquiry, one of the three PPP friends who was waiting for the main gates of the hotel to open to get his car in, was informed that the suspicious boxes were shifted to the fourth and fifth floors of the hotel. Mumtaz Alam was furious both at the US Marines and the hotel security not only for the delay caused to them but also for the security lapse he was witnessing.

See here also:

http://www.daily.pk/politics/politicalnews/7422-what-was-mysterious-activity-going-on-in-the-marriott-hotel-islamabad-by-united-states-marines

Clearly there is more to this "terrorist suicide bombing" than meets the eye, as is usually the case.

In recent weeks the Pakistan government have been making it clear that they are not happy with US intervention in Pakistan, which usually kills civilians by way of those nice predator drones or brave American pilots in F-22s. The new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in his speech to Parliament on the same day as the bombing announced:

"we will not allow Foreign forces to violate Pakistan's territorial integrity in the name of fighting Terrorism".

I wonder who he was referring to...

Pakistan's troops even dared to fire on a US chopper that violated Pakistani airspace "they're firing back! Are they allowed to do that?!"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080922/wl_nm/pakistan_usa_helicopters_dc

Interestingly, the Pakistani leadership were allegedly scheduled to have dinner at the Marriott the same evening as the bombing, but changed their minds at the last minute, although this claim has been refuted by the hotel owner, who probably just wants to distance himself and his hotel, which he plans to reopen by December, from any conspiracy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7628964.stm

Add in the fact that chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, arrived in Pakistan on an unannounced visit last Tuesday to allegedly discuss operations underway on the Afghanistan frontier with Pakistan's leaders:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080916170853.2t8r3t32&show_article=1&catnum=2

and we start to get an idea of what is going on here. Someone called the Pakistani leaders and tipped them off, and then later called back to mention that he didn't have to tip them off, and next time maybe he wouldn't, unless they got in line and prostituted their country's sovereignty to the mythical "war on terror".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7630402.stm

The US has been trying to convince Pakistani officials that the fight against militants is one that Islamabad needs to be engaged in and that Pakistan's stability is at stake, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington.

Saturday's bombing will have given that message a dramatic sense of urgency, and the US is watching closely to see how Islamabad deals with the aftermath, our correspondent says.

Indeed, and this:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3507635.cms
The US has underlined the "limited capability" of Islamabad to fight the militants in its restive tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, saying the military operations against the insurgents is not a favour Pakistanis are doing but is "essential to their survival".

"They (Pakistan) also recognize there is a serious terrorist threat, and I think the government is increasingly recognizing it is a threat to Pakistan," said Stephen Hadley, the US National Security Advisor.

Translated into common parlance, this means: "allow us to fight the "war on terror" in your country or become a victim of it."

Basically, former allies in America's "war on terror" are beginning to get pissed off at the gross liberties uncle sam is taking, and are starting to tell the US where to stick their predator drones. And the only way the US government knows how to respond to such insolence is to threaten the trouble makers with immediate detonation by "Islamic terrorists", courtesy of the CIA et al. Hence last Sunday's bomb.

And let's not forget this:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20795.htm

George Bush Desperate for "Trophy Strike"

By StopTheWarCoalition

18/09/08 "StopTheWarCoalition" -- - George Bush has signed a secret order allowing US troops to operate in Pakistan, without permission from the Pakistani government or agreement by the United Nations, contravening numerous international laws and conventions. Bush says the recent ground assault by US commandos and the big increase in the number of US missiles fired from unmanned aircraft are directed at al-Qaeda leaders, but the Pakistani government and local observers say that most of the dozens killed in these attacks have been civilians, the majority of them women and children.

The Guardian newspaper suggests a different interpretation for these attacks: "Bush is thought to be in a desperate push for a trophy strike...before he leaves office." No doubt part of the calculation is the hope that this will boost the electoral chances of John McCain in his campaign to succeed Bush as president.

Since 1945, American has bombed 25 countries round the world, killing many millions of people (some estimates put the figure as high as 20 million). But George Bush has a message for all the families grieving as a result of his contribution to this horrendous scale of mass slaughter. He recently expressed his sorrow, following the US attack in Afghanistan which killed 90 civilians: "I am a partner in your loss and that of the Afghan people."

And, of course, all those grieving families will be comforted by an earlier Bush pronouncement: "America is a Nation with a mission -- and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace -- a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman."

I'd say we can expect more countries to take a page from the Venezuelan, Russian and Pakistani book and that we can expect a speeding up of the implosion of America under the weight of its own brutality and hubris.
 
Vulcan59 said:
Looking at the crater, it reminded me of another very similar one taken at the scene of Rafiq Hariri's assassination.

Indeed, that one came to my mind too. There was also the tip off similarity with the Jakarta Marriot hotel bomb in 2003

http://web.archive.org/web/20040219033817/http://www.detik.com/peristiwa/2003/08/05/20030805-183447.shtml

US Embassy cancelled the booking of Marriott Hotel 4.5 hours before the explosion.

Translated from:
detikcom
5/08/2003

There was something interesting happened just hours before the explosion shocked the JW Marriott Hotel, Mega Kuningan, South
Jakarta. The US Embassy cancelled the booking of 10-20 rooms in that hotel. The cancellation was on 8.00 West Indonesian Time, Tuesday, or only 4.5 hours before the explosion.

This information is from employee of Marriot Hotel who refused to be identified. He explained that the booking was made several days ago.
The US Embassy's guests were planned to stay for 3 days. And the ceremony was planned on Wednesday.

For information, when there was the explosion, the security of US Embassy directly came to the Marriot Hotel in Mega Kuningan. JW
Marriot Hotel is known to be used frequently by US Embassy. On 4 July 2003, the Independent Day of US was celebrated on this hotel. Last year, it was also celebrated there.

And then the usual "little known group" taking responsibility for Sunday's bomb:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7630024.stm

A little known Pakistani militant group, Fidayeen-e-Islam, says it carried out Saturday's devastating attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel.

The group told the BBC the aim of the attack was to stop American interference in Pakistan.

The one thing that unites all these "Islamic terror groups" is that their strategic thinking is on the level of that of the average can of baked beans, and usually results in them helping US/British/Israeli interests. I mean, how does blowing up the Marriott hotel in Islamabad and thereby giving the US plausible reason to continue to launch bombing raids into Pakistan further the cause of stopping American interference in that country? Clearly it does precisely the opposite. Then again, everything about the "war on terror" stands the truth on its head.
 
Further to my final comments on the original article above:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7628899.stm

Russian navy sails to Venezuela

Russian warships have set off for Venezuela for joint exercises unprecedented since the Cold War.

The fleet of ships, headed by the nuclear-powered Peter the Great cruiser, set off from its base at Severomorsk in the Arctic.

The ships are due to take part in joint manoeuvres with Venezuela in November.

The move is seen as a rebuff to the United States, which is facing increasingly fraught relationships with the two nations.

Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said the ships set sail at 1000 local time (0600 GMT), and would travel 15,000 nautical miles to reach their destination.

"It's the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser Peter the Great, the anti-submarine warship Admiral Chebanenko and other accompanying ships," he told the AFP news agency.

Two Russian bombers arrived in Venezuela last week for training flights.


'New world potential'

Moscow has intensified ties with Venezuela and other Latin American countries recently as its relationship with Washington has become strained.

Caracas and Moscow have signed arms contracts, and are looking to extend bilateral co-operation on energy.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, in Caracas last week, said five Russian oil firms were looking to begin operations in Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who will visit Moscow this week, said on Sunday that Latin America needed a strong friendship with Russia to help reduce Washington's influence in the region.

A staunch critic of the US, he backed Russian intervention in Georgia last month and has accused Washington of being scared of Moscow's "new world potential".

Mr Sechin also warned the US not to view Latin America as its own backyard. "It would be wrong to talk about one nation having exclusive rights to this zone," he told the Associated Press.

During the Cold War, Latin America became an ideological battleground between the US and the then USSR.
 
Meyssan has wrote an article about it but it's only french at the moment :

http://www.voltairenet.org/article158100.html

The title is :
"<<The attack on Islamabad is the 9/11 of Pakistan>>
Drived to the wall in Afghanistan, NATO organize an attack in Pakistan"


Guess what ? Yesterday the french National assembly (~House of Representatives) approved hold of men in Afghanistan (343 to 210).
_http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202877.html
 
You said it all, Percival. Just one detail to add: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was married to Benazir Bhutto, who, as we know, was assassinated under the cover of an explosion in a campaign rally.

Also, I wonder if the US Blackops people were not aided by unhappy elements of Pakistani intelligence who would like to keep things the way they were with Musharraf?
 
and now there's this:

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during his speech before the Senate Armed Services Committee that a victory over terrorism in Afghanistan was impossible as long as Taliban and al-Qaida guerrillas were hiding at their bases in Pakistan.

"Until the insurgency is deprived of safe havens, insecurity and violence will persist," Gates said. The official urged the US administration to push the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan towards cooperation to strengthen the control on the borders of the two states and make them less passable for terrorists. The head of the Pentagon hopes that the relations between Washington and Islamabad in the filed of defense cooperation will improve.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stated in his recent address to the national parliament that he would not allow a foreign military incursion in the country.

"American troops are coming, without letting us know, without Pakistan's permission, they are violating the United Nations charter," Zardari told NBC news in Islamabad Monday before leaving for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly and meet President Bush.

The president added that no foreign country would be allowed to violate Pakistan ’s sovereignty under the guise of struggle against terrorism. The president did not name the addressees of those warnings, although it was clear that it was a challenge to Washington .

US troops have crossed the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan several times during the recent month. The Pentagon obtained permission from the White House to conduct cross-border operations without permission from the government of Pakistan . Several days ago, the Pakistani military opened fire on US helicopters flying from Afghanistan and made them turn back.

\\\http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/23-09-2008/106440-gates_pakistan-0
 
Great analysis, Percival!

American "wrath" on those not following their script, comes heavy in all ways

Marriot blast rips hole in Pakistan economy

The above article notes the punch in Pakistan's economy, as a result of the blast, and says among others:

Saturday's attack came a few hours after President Asif Ali Zardari made his first address to the joint session of parliament. The attack appears to have been a message to Islamabad to discontinue its policy of supporting the United States in its "war on terror" in the region, which has involved a a series of incursions from Afghanistan into Pakistan, moves the government has objected to.

While condemning Saturday's deadly blast, US President George W Bush has urged Pakistan to intensify its fight against terrorists. He linked the Marriott blast to a series of recent bombings across Pakistan and pledged to fully support the Islamabad's elected government as it faces its enormous economic challenges.

In other words, "Help us and will help you, now that we've made things even worst for your economy".

Pakistan has paid dearly for the US-led war in terms of heavy human and economic costs. Despite its frontline role and services in the cause of the war, Pakistan has been the target of severe criticism by some US politicians, military officials with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Western media, attacking Pakistan and its intelligence services for doing not what they should have done after receiving billions of dollars as military assistance from the US.

Local analysts argue that in this Washington and Kabul have been shifting responsibility for their failures against al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan to Pakistan. Meanwhile, analysts say, the Americans and NATO forces have done nothing to help track down the terrorists responsible for hundreds of recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.

Pakistani army on the other hand, has been busy in the Bajaur region, and it seems that the government might have fallen in the US trap. This is today's news:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/09/200892373648967651.html

Officials say at least 10 fighters linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda have been killed by Pakistani troops in the tribal region of Bajaur.

Six people suspected of planning an attack on a security post were killed late on Monday in a mortar attack on their vehicle in the town of Loisam, a Pakistani security official said on Tuesday.

Four fighters were also killed as troops repelled an attack on a nearby checkpost, a local government official said.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified.

News of the deaths comes days after a massive truck bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital Islamabad left at least 53 people dead.[...]

At least 800 people, mostly opposition fighters, have been killed so far during the campaign in Bajaur.

[...]But a string of US cross-border operations in Pakistan tribal regions against Taliban and al-Qaeda linked fighters have been called a threat to the country's sovereignty by Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president.

Zardari is expected to discuss the cross-border attacks with George Bush on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Edit to add this one:

Bush offers Pakistan help protecting itself

http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-35616120080923

Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:44pm IST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday said the United States wanted to help Pakistan protect itself amid questions about U.S. military strikes aimed at al Qaeda and Taliban militants in its remote border region.

Bush sat down for his first face-to-face meeting with newly elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss security and economic issues before they attended the U.N. General Assembly.

There have been numerous questions about U.S. strikes in the remote region along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as an alleged commando raid, sparking anger among many Pakistanis about violations of their country's sovereignty.

"Your words have been very strong about Pakistan's sovereign right and sovereign duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help," Bush said before the meeting. He did not address the strikes.

Bush also expressed to Zardari his condolences for the victims of the truck bombing at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad that killed at least 53 people and raised new fears about worsening security in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed U.S. ally.

Zardari acknowledged generally that his country had problems but said it would confront them.

"We have a situation, we have issues, we've got problems," Zardari told reporters. "But we will solve them and we will rise to the occasion."

His remarks came as the Pakistani military said earlier on Tuesday that troops backed by artillery and helicopter gunships killed 50 militants in Darra Adam Kheil, a tribal region close to the northwestern city of Peshawar. Ten more militants were killed in Swat, a northwestern valley.

The army has also launched a major offensive in the Bajaur region on the Afghan border, and said hundreds of militants have been killed there since late August.

And, there you go!
 
Thought I'd add this one from a few days ago because the premise is equally hilarious. It seems Al CIA duh were a bit late with this years 9/11 remembrance reminder video, replete with pathetic attempts to bolster the US government's official 9/11 fable.

The reason for the delay, according to "terrorism analyst" and CNN contributor Laura Mansfield, was "technical reasons". It's not clear if the technical reasons were experienced by Al CIA duh or by CNN (is there a difference?) Faking videos isn't a five minute job, ya know? Anyway, yet again, the mysterious "mullah omar" claims that Osama is alive and well, possibly building a new cave dwelling under the white house.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/19/alqaeda.sept11.tape/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

In video, Al Qaeda vows more U.S. attacks

In a video marking the seventh anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda's top leader in Afghanistan vows more "large-scale" attacks against the United States and its allies.
Mullah Omar, chief of the Taliban, is shown in this undated headshot photo.

mullahomar_official.jpg


Mullah Omar, chief of the Taliban, is shown in this undated headshot photo.

In another segment, the personal adviser to Taliban leader Mullah Omar says al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and well. Al Qaeda leaders featured on the video promise more violence against their enemies.

"We inform the forces of the Cross and their apostate agents that the Mujahedeen's policy in the coming stage, God permitting, is going to be more major, large-scale attacks like the Kandahar prison operation, the Nuristan raid, the Sarobi ambush and Khost airport operation in which approximately 50 Americans and 100 apostates were killed and four helicopters were hit and destroyed," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid says.

CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the video posted on jihadi Web sites, purportedly by al Qaeda's video production arm, As Sahab.

The well-being of bin Laden, and the possibility of his demise, are frequently in question. But in the video, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Rahmani, adviser to Mullah Omar, says, "Sheikh Osama is healthy and well, and we ask God to protect him, and we pray to God to preserve him and foil the attempts if the enemies of the Nation to reach him."

Mullah Omar has been on the U.S. military's most-wanted list since a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban rulers from Afghanistan in 2001.

Also on the video is a reading from the will of Saeed al Ghamdi, one of the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11 suicide missions in New York and Washington. He was believed to have been aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Officials said his passport was recovered from the crash site.

The documentary-style video is nearly 1½ hours long. Among the other speakers are Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Hamza al-Muhajjer, the head of al Qaeda in Iraq; and Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's second-in-command.

Video excerpts were first released by the Arab news network al-Jazeera on September 8. Availability of the entire video was delayed by technical problems, according to terrorism analyst and CNN contributor Laura Mansfield

Take a look at the official US government/media pic of the Mr Omar above. Now that's the type of photo IDing that we need in the war on terror! So here's what I want y'all to do: take yourselves off to Afghanistan and, using this photo as ID, make a citizen's arrest of this man in the name of the war on terror and Jehovah (it'll be easy, he'll be the medium brown skinned one with a beard).

As for me, I am already hard at work helping the terror masters in my own way. Below I have provided another undated head shot of the less well known but equally scary Mullah Mwahahaha. So if you can, nab him also. But beware! Just look at those eyes!

my_mullah.jpg


Mullah Mwahahaha, chief of the Talibun (terrorist pastry makers guild offshoot of the Taliban), is shown in this undated headshot photo circa 00:00 on 24th September 2008
 
The other thing I seem to notice lately is the dates. Looking at the table for earth's seasons here the events seem to fall around or close to the dates. I am reminded of a passage from ISOTM where G talks about planetary influences.
 
Oops! Of course, the western press ignores it :whistle:

http://tinyurl.com/3mpmyw

Pakistan probes mystery of US Marines' steel boxes in Marriott

Indo-Asian News Service
Islamabad, September 23, 2008

Pakistani authorities are trying to "solve the riddle" of US Marines and their mysterious steel cases that were shifted to the Marriott Hotel four days before it was razed in the worst terrorist attack in the federal capital, a media report on Tuesday said.

"The authorities want to ascertain if it was a routine exercise or part of some special mission that does not have the approval of the government of Pakistan," The News said.

The US embassy insists the activity witnessed was a team of support personnel that often and routinely precede and/or accompany certain US officials.

According to an official source, the authorities were told that mysterious activity of the US Marines took place around midnight on Sep 16.

"Already, the government has got information that several rooms on the fourth floor of the Marriott were in permanent use of the US authorities. Three of these rooms were said to be inter-connected and contained some intelligence equipment and other material allegedly used for espionage," the newspaper said.

Marriott owner Sadruddin Hashwani denied that the Americans had any such presence in the hotel and said that like at any such hotel in the world, his guests included people of different nationalities.

"Why focus on the Americans unnecessarily?" he wondered, flatly denying that the US embassy had permanently hired several rooms in the hotel.

The hotel owner is sounding more and more like the CIA pays his wages. He already denied that Pakistan's government leaders were planning to eat at the hotel the evening of the bomb.

US embassy spokesperson Lou Fintor said in a written reply in response to a query on the Marines: "A team of support personnel often and routinely precede and/or accompany certain US government officials.

"They often carry communication and office equipment required to support large delegations, such as high-level administration officials and members of the US Congress."

He added that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who was in Pakistan last week, would travel with communications equipment.

"It is quite possible that some saw this communications equipment moved into the hotel. This equipment would leave with the CJCS. If the equipment was transported in full public view then obviously there was no attempt made to conceal its movement."

Sounds plausible, but there's a problem:

Witnessed by many, including a PPP MNA and his friends, a US embassy truckload of steel boxes was unloaded and shifted inside the Marriott Hotel on Sep 16 midnight only after Mullen had met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others in Islamabad and had already left the country.

"Both the main gates (the entrance and the exit) of the hotel were closed while no one except the US Marines was either allowed to go near the truck or get the steel boxes unloaded or shift them inside the hotel," The News said.

"These steel boxes were not being passed through the scanners installed at the entrance of the hotel's lobby, and were reportedly shifted to the fourth and fifth floors of the Marriott," it added.

A hotel employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the management had been receiving threats from unknown persons for the last six months to evict the US officials vacated from the hotel.

Hotel owner Hashwani, however, denied this.

According to the US embassy spokesperson, the mission had been a frequent customer of the Marriott for many years. On any given day, there were employees of the American embassy and official American visitors staying at the hotel.

"There is nothing unusual, secretive or 'mysterious' about this," Fintor maintained.

Asked if three of these permanently hired rooms were interconnected, Fintor said: "For our frequent visiting delegations, the embassy often rented adjoining rooms - as we often do in other hotels in Pakistan and in the world."

Responding to reports that the CIA was using the US-rented rooms for espionage purposes, the spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, far too many things have been 'said' that have absolutely no basis in fact. There is no truth whatsoever in allegations that covert activity was taking place on the part of the United States government."

He termed the allegations inaccurate, irresponsible, baseless and completely without any foundation whatsoever.
 
Ellipse said:
Meyssan has wrote an article about it but it's only french at the moment :

http://www.voltairenet.org/article158100.html

here is a translation, but it may be rough. if anyone notices any glaring faults in the translation, please comment or let me know.

Cornered in Afghanistan, NATO organize an attack in Pakistan

by Thierry Meyssan

The slogan comparing the bombing of Islamabad and September 11th is more realistic than it seems. The carnage claimed non-exclusively serves the interests of NATO: the Atlantic Alliance must take control of the Khyber pass in Pakistan to supply its troops in Afghanistan. If the Alliance is only able to partially restore its logistics, Washington intends to sacrifice the allied troops.

An attack of unprecedented violence in the country ravaged the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on September 21st 2008. A truck bomb containing an explosive power estimated at least 600 kg of TNT and various ammunition dug a huge crater, killed over 60 people and injured over 226 others. Commenting on the event on television, the editor of the Daily Times said: "This is the September 11th of Pakistan." This cry was echoed by all Western news agencies. Although it has not been claimed, the attack was attributed by authorities to Al-Qaeda movement. In response, the chairman Zardari announced that he will not give up and will intensify his fight against terrorism.

Placed in context, these events are unfortunately not surprising.

In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Central Asian States, major Western oil companies have stepped up plans to exploit oil from the Caspian Basin. The Californian firm UNOCAL has two large projects. The first (known as BTC) would link the Caspian to the Black Sea through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, with the help of British BP, the second would link the Caspian to the Indian Ocean via Turkmenistan , Afghanistan and Pakistan, mainly with the help of Saudi Delta Oil.

If the BTC was built without much difficulty, it was not the same for the trans-Afghan pipeline. UNOCAL ran to the chaos prevailing in the country and approaching the White House for the stabilization of the region. The firm hired Henry Kissinger as a consultant, and entrusted the project management to Ambassadors John J. Maresca, Robert B. Oakley and two experts Zalmay Khalilzad and Hamid Karzai. Washington bought the help of the Taliban, who controlled most of the country. To do this, the State Department gave them a subsidy of $43 million in May 2001. With the agreement of the G8 (summit in Genoa, July 20-22 2001), multilateral negotiations were then opened in Berlin with the Islamic Emirate although it is not recognized by the international community. However, the Taliban expressed new demands and failed.

The United States and the United Kingdom then planned an invasion of Afghanistan. In late August 2001, they concentrated their naval forces at the sea of Oman and transported 40,000 men to Egypt. On September 9th, 2001, the pro-Russian Tajik leader Shah Massoud was assassinated, but the news was kept secret. On September 11th 2001, President Bush accused the Taliban of being involved in attacks that were to occur in New York and Washington and sent them an ultimatum. Then the Anglo-Saxons and overthrew the Taliban took control of the country during Operation Enduring Freedom [1].

7 years later, the pipeline is still not built and the country is still prey to chaos. UNOCAL has been absorbed by Chevron with the blessing of Condoleezza Rice, John J. Maresca became the boss of the Business Humanitarian Forum, which is actively involved in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for medicinal purposes (sic), Robert B. Oakley is responsible for proposing a reorganization plan military institutions; Zalmay Khalilzad is now U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Hamid Karzai has used his dual nationality to become President of Afghanistan turned into a narco-state.

The Pentagon absorbed by the Iraqi quagmire, has largely delegated the military occupation of Afghanistan in its NATO allies. To supply its troops, NATO signed a protocol with the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty (Bucharest summit, April 4th 2008). Logistics is routed via Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Commenting on this strange facilitated given to NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the importance of international cooperation against terrorism, more direct, Ambassador Kabulov Zamil told Vremya Novostei that the interests of Moscow was to see Westerners bogged and die in Afghanistan.

But on August 8th 2008, the United States and Israel have launched the Georgian troops to attack Russian population of South Ossetia. In response, the Russian army bombed two Israeli military airports in Georgia and the BTC pipeline. Then, President Medvedev brought together the Collective Security Treaty, which repealed the protocol binding to NATO. Finally, the Russian media suddenly called into question the supposed link between the attacks of September 11th 2001 and colonization of Afghanistan by NATO.

This reversal is even more serious for NATO to defeat on paper. 54% of Afghan territory is in the hands of insurgents. To face them, General David McKiernan requires the dispatch of three additional brigades (15,000 men, which should be taken from the Iraqi quota). But there is obviously no question of sending reinforcements while 47,600 men already are not supplied and are in great danger.

To restore its supply chain, the Alliance must urgently find a flow path. No satisfactory solution can be effective in the short term. Seeking first priority to saving the GI's trapped, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has multiplied bombastic considerations on the lack of coordination between ISAF, U.S. special forces and Afghan army, to propose ultimately change the chain of command. All troops, including allies, would be placed directly under the authority of CENTCOM. In other words, the Allies would not have their say and the Pentagon could provide troops Anglo-Saxon (U.S., UK, Canada and Australia) and let others cope alone (Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, etc.)..

Afghanistan is closed to the east by high mountain barrier, the only supply corridor is the Khyber pass, located in Pakistani territory. It was used only for supplying troops with fuel. During the extended weekend of the anniversary of the birth of the prophet (April 23rd 2008), sixty tanker trucks were crammed with border crossing at Torkham. Insurgents attacked the central truck with an RPG and ignited a huge blaze. Since then, the convoys have been moving under good escort.

To secure the Khyber pass, the Pentagon has bombed suspected targets in Pakistani territory, on September 3rd. The ultra pro-US Asif Ali Zardari was elected president of Pakistan, on September 5th. The chief of U.S. Joint Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, paid a surprise visit to Pakistan on September 15th. He demanded that Pakistan ceded control of the Khyber pass in the United States.

On September 21st, President Zardari gave his inaugural address to Parliament. He pledged to support efforts by the Pentagon against "terrorists" in Afghanistan. At the end of the ceremony, government officials and parliamentarians were been invited to the Iftar (breaking of fast of Ramadan) at the residence of Prime Minister. Most of them were furious at once because the new president had not confirmed his commitment to restore the judges of the Supreme Court and by what he had hinted he would abandon sovereignty over the Khyber pass. During the reception, a truck bomb hit the Marriott Hotel where the iftar was originally planned. The attack could not be interpreted by parliamentarians except as a warning that NATO would not hesitate to eliminate them if they opposed their plans. In the media, that attack justifies the taking of U.S. control of a territory of Pakistan, like September 11th had justified the invasion of Afghanistan.

Speaking on television, Najam Sethi, editor of the liberal newspaper Daily Times, exclaimed: "This is the September 11th of Pakistan." Mr. Sethi is a journalist known for his alignment with Washington in which he supported all the inconsistencies. Thus he endorsed the military coup of General Musharraf in 1999 in the name of "order" and defends today the new U.S. pawn, Asif Ali Zardari, in the name of "democracy" this time. He founded the Daily Times with Americans in the U.S. capital in early 2002.

However, this attack marks the extension of the Afghanistan war in Pakistan and calls into question the regional balance.

[1] On all these issues, see Chapter 10 of The Big Lie 1, by Thierry Meyssan (reissue Halfpipe, 2007).
 
"Already, the government has got information that several rooms on the fourth floor of the Marriott were in permanent use of the US authorities. Three of these rooms were said to be inter-connected and contained some intelligence equipment and other material allegedly used for espionage," the newspaper said.

Didn't WTC Building 7 have a CIA office as well? And so a great deal of evidence was destroyed.

In the case of Pakistan, perhaps with the change of regime, the CIA had a double purpose with the bombing: to cover their tracks by blowing up evidence, and to send a mafia style message to Zardari.
 
"Already, the government has got information that several rooms on the fourth floor of the Marriott were in permanent use of the US authorities. Three of these rooms were said to be inter-connected and contained some intelligence equipment and other material allegedly used for espionage," the newspaper said.

Marriott owner Sadruddin Hashwani denied that the Americans had any such presence in the hotel and said that like at any such hotel in the world, his guests included people of different nationalities.

"Why focus on the Americans unnecessarily?" he wondered, flatly denying that the US embassy had permanently hired several rooms in the hotel.

It is standard operating procedure for American military to permanently hire several rooms for the American Military especially in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. One such hotel, where I live has a permanent American military force occupying two whole floors of the hotel.

This Marriott Hotel owner is talking through his backside.
 
This Marriott Hotel owner is talking through his backside.

More importantly, he is doing so knowingly. Maybe he was instrumental in making sure the bombing went off smoothly. In an interview I watched in the BBC he didn't seem too bothered about the fact that his hotel was gutted. Maybe he'll get several times the hotels value from the insurance, like Silverstein on 911. Maybe that's why some were calling the bombing "pakistan's 911"
 
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