 (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - A Pakistani military helicopter escorting President Pervez Musharraf crashed in Pakistani Kashmir on Monday killing four soldiers. Although the head of the Pakistan army public relations wing, ISPR, General Waheed Arshad, said that the crash was caused by "a technical fault," journalists based in Pakistani Kashmir said that the incident was really an attack on US ally Musharraf, who was re-elected president only two days ago.
| Well, yeah, it's a "technical fault" if you don't find the dynamite before it takes off. |
Musharraf has survived at least three assassination attempts by al-Qaeda-linked militants.
| So this one makes four. Five lives to go. |
Reports say that when Musharraf travels by helicopter, several aircraft are used as potential decoys, and it is not known whether he will be in the lead helicopter or one of those following.
| This is known in the trade as "elementary precautions." |
The four killed in Monday's crash included a brigadier, the two commandos from Musharraf's security detail, and a cameraman from state-run television. Eight people were injured in the incident including Musharraf's press advisor, retired Major-General Rashid Qureshi. Musharraf was traveling to Kashmir to mark the second anniversary of an earthquake in the region which killed around 73,000 people. |