WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States on Saturday condemned the massive bombing of a Pakistan hotel that left at least 60 people dead, including one American, and expressed support for the country's government.
"I strongly condemn the terrorist bombing in Islamabad that targeted and killed many innocents, including at least one American," President George W. Bush said in a statement, describing the blast as "part of a continuing assault on the people of Pakistan."
Bush, who was briefed by his advisors after the attack, offered his condolences and said the "attack is a reminder of the ongoing threat faced by Pakistan, the United States, and all those who stand against violent extremism."
He also vowed to "fully support the democratically elected government of Pakistan and the Pakistani people as they face enormous challenges economically as well as from terrorism."
In Islamabad, a suicide bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives at the Marriott Hotel Saturday, killing at least 60 people in a brazen attack in the heart of the Pakistan capital.
Police said 200 people were also wounded in the massive explosion, which ruptured a gas pipeline and triggered a huge blaze that engulfed the heavily-guarded site in flames.
A US national was among those killed, while several foreigners were also wounded, hospital and security officials in Islamabad told AFP.
"We have the body of one American national killed in the blast," spokesman for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Wasim Khawaja, told AFP.
Many victims leapt to their deaths from the upper floors of the hotel to escape the fire, a senior security official told AFP, and there were fears more were buried in the debris.
Officials said they were worried that the hotel, a key meeting place for foreigners, would collapse.
The attack also came hours after new President Asif Ali Zardari -- who faces a serious challenge in reining in Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants -- delivered his first address to parliament, which is just a few hundred meters away.
"This barbaric attack comes during the month of Ramadan, only underscoring that those responsible have no respect for the principles of their faith," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a statement.
The attackers' goal is to "create mayhem and weaken the institutions of government so that they may operate unfettered while spreading their intolerance," McCormack said.
On the US campaign trail, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said "today's attack demonstrates the grave and urgent threat that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates pose to the United States, to Pakistan, and to the security of all nations.
"As the attack earlier this week on our embassy in Yemen shows, over seven years after 9/11, the terrorist threat knows no borders, and the terrorists threaten innocent civilians of all religions and regions," Obama said.
"Now is the time to refocus our efforts on defeating Al-Qaeda and securing the American people."
His Republican rival John McCain called the attack "an outrageous act of violence."
"Today's bombing must serve to deepen the resolve of Americans and Pakistanis alike to aggressively confront those terrorist groups that seek our destruction," McCain said.
"It also serves as one more demonstration of the need for the next president to work closely with our partners and allies in order to counter the dangers posed by radical Islamic extremism."
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