Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

By Margaret Lyons in News on Dec 27, 2007 5:15PM

Today's big story--and no doubt one of the biggest stories in a long, long time--is that Benazir Bhutto, opposition leader and former prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated this morning in a bombing that killed at least 20 other people. International leaders, including President Bush, are condemning the attack.

No one claimed responsibility for the killing. But suspicion was likely to fall on resurgent Islamic militants linked to al Qaida and the Taliban who hated Bhutto for her close ties to the Americans and support for the war on terrorism. A local Taliban leader reportedly threatened to greet Bhutto's return to the country from exile in October with suicide bombings.

Bhutto had been campaigning for the parliamentary elections that are scheduled for January 8, but some are suggesting that those elections be postponed.

We're still trying to track down any local gatherings, vigils, rallies, etc, so if you know of any events, let us know, please.

[Trib, ABC, NY Times, CNN, other CNN.]

Photo: AP/B.K.Bangash