‘Two Americans’ among four killed in Peshawar suicide car bombing

At least four persons, including two foreigners, were reportedly killed and 19 others injured in when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle in the University Town area of Peshawar on Monday.
Though the US embassy in Islamabad denied its nationals’ casualties, local officials and Information Minister Mian Iftikhar said the deceased included two Americans. Officials said the target of the bombing was apparently a vehicle in use by US nationals.
Per details, the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the vehicle purportedly carrying US nationals on the main Aabdara Road in University Town.
The massive explosion left a four-foot crater on the road and destroyed several houses and vehicles. The bomb-proof vehicle of US diplomatic mission was also badly damaged.
A police officer who witnessed the attack said the US nationals attacked in the blast were whisked away by another vehicle soon after the blast, therefore, authorities were unclear of the actual casualties and injuries caused to the foreigners.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Imtiaz Altaf also expressed ignorance about the fate of US nationals in the vehicle attacked by the bomber. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said those killed “included two Americans”.
Some other sources also confirmed the killing of two US nationals.
However, the US embassy in Islamabad released the following statement through State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland: “We can confirm that a vehicle belonging to the US Consulate in Peshawar was hit in an apparent terrorist attack. Two US personnel and two Pakistani staff of the Consulate were injured and are receiving medical treatment. No US Consulate personnel were killed, but we are seeking further information about other victims of this heinous act. We stand ready to work with Pakistani authorities on a full investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.” A damaged American passport with the name Capodicci Jr was found inside the destroyed US vehicle. A number of maps were also recovered, which were taken into custody by police personnel. Two hand grenades were also found near the vehicle.
The suicide bomber apparently struck the diplomats’ vehicle head on, as the vehicle was pushed several yards backwards, while its engine was thrown around 15 feet from the vehicle’s shell. Police chief Imtiaz Altaf believed that around 100kgs to 110kgs of explosives were used in the attack. The residents said the blast had left a number of people unconscious, while the boundary walls and main gates of several houses were razed to the ground. Soon after the explosion, high-ranking police officers rushed to the site and supervised rescue activities.
Imtiaz Altaf said, “There is no information of US nationals or casualties.” He, however, said the bodies of two local men were shifted to a hospital and their identity was yet to be confirmed. He said at least 19 injured had been admitted in Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar. There have been a number of attacks on foreign nationals in the area, as it is known for having several US diplomatic and officer’s residences, clubs and UNHCR and other foreign mission offices and accommodations.
Following the blast, two vehicles, including one occupied by American diplomats, returned to Islamabad from the Peshawar Toll Plaza. One of the vehicles was in use by the UNICEF Pakistan chief. The offices of US funded organizations and projects were also closed down for the day. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced the “cowardly” attack against US consulate personnel in Pakistan and praised local authorities’ response to the scene.
Clinton, on a visit to Jakarta shortly after the bombing in Peshawar, said that she wanted to “very clearly condemn the attack on our consulate personnel”. “We deplore the cowardly act of suicide bombing and terrorist attacks that have affected so many people around the world and which we must all stand against,” she told reporters. Clinton declined to speculate on the perpetrators but was quick to praise the response of authorities in Pakistan, whose strategic partnership with the United States has repeatedly been plunged into crisis in recent years. “The information I have is that the Pakistani authorities responded very appropriately,” she said. Clinton, in line with earlier US accounts, said that both US citizens and Pakistanis employed at the consulate were injured when a suicide bomber rammed into their van. She said that some of the injured had been airlifted to hospitals in Islamabad.