U.S. condemns killing of Pakistani opposition leader

Source: Xinhua | 12-28-2007 08:47

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States said Thursday it condemns the suicide attack that killed Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

"We obviously condemn the attack that shows that there are people out there who are trying to disrupt the building of democracy in Pakistan," U.S. State Department deputy spokesman TomCasey said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush, who is vacationing at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, has been informed about the situation in Pakistan, according to White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

The White House is expected to issue a statement on the incident later Thursday.

Bhutto, 54, died in a hospital after a suspected suicide rocked her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30km south of Islamabad. The latest reports from the state-run PTV said at least 10 people were killed in the blast.

Immediately after the assassination, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called on an emergency meeting at the presidency with top government officials, state-run television reported.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei