The Pakistani authorities investigating the June 10 attack in Peshawar’s Pearl Continental hotel said that of the 17 people killed, five were members of the infamous
US security agency Blackwater Worldwide — which has played a substantial role
during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as a contractor for the US.
Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade, an al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the bombing. A spokesman of the organisation said the prime target of the attackers were US agents using the hotel as headquarters.
According to a report, the hotel was at the centre of an US’s plan to establish a long-term presence in the area.
The Pakistani intelligence sources involved in the investigations said a large number of the foreigners, especially Americans, had been staying in the hotel for some time now amidst reports that its third and fourth floors had been rented out to Blackwater.
A British daily quoted a senior US official as having confirmed that the American plan for the consulate in Peshawar involved the purchase of the Pearl Continental hotel.
