U.S. Consulate General Basra: "Dangerously Exposed" but Under Iraqi Protection

Ted Koppel recently had a piece on our "exit" from Iraq for NBC's Rock Center.  In an interview with NPR, Ted Koppel noted that  all our troops will soon be out "save 157 who will be guarding the embassy, and a few hundred U.S. military trainers."

In his interview with Ambassador Jeffrey, Ted Koppel  asked the ambassador what happens if our folks there come under direct attack.  The ambassador responded that this is the responsibility of the Iraqi government.  When pushed if he was confident that the Iraqis would respond, Ambassador Jeffrey said "yes." Of course, can we really expect our ambassador there to say "no" on teevee? I am having a really bad tummy ache over this.

I posted the opening of U.S. Consulate General in Basra in this blog last July. The clip below talks about ConGen Basra with 1320 people (apparently also known as Fort Apache), which is rocketed two or three times a week. Also piece here on Shalamcha, Iraq’s southern border crossing into Iran, a stone throw from Basra:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here are the rest of the clips from NBC's Rock Center:

No Exit: US military leaving Iraq but presence remains

No Exit: Iraq's oil and Iran's influence

No Exit: Ted Koppel's reflect on Iraq's future

Related articles

• Iraqis unable to defend their borders as US exits (worldnews.msnbc.msn.com)
• U.S. bases remaining in Iraq dwindles to four (news.blogs.cnn.com)
• Signs of looming US troop drawdown abound in Iraq (sfgate.com)

Photo of the Day: Clowning around for cross-border theatre ties

Via US ConGen Calgary/Flickr | 20 October 2011: Clowning around to promote cross-border theatre ties:

Photo from US CG Calgary/Flickr

"Red noses were the required dress code at a welcome reception hosted by Consul General Laura Lochman for members of Aga-Boom Theatre of Physical Comedy and Circus Arts. The Las Vegas-based clown troop created by veterans of Cirque du Soleil is in Calgary for three days of performances for Y Stage at Vertigo Theatre, an arts group specializing in theatre for young audiences. Staff of the Consulate clowned around with guests from Calgary’s cultural community to highlight the collaborations and partnerships Y Stage has been forging with American artists specializing in theatre for young people. “Usually when we talk about our bilateral relationship, the conversation revolves around trade or security. We don’t often get the opportunity to highlight the many links between our two countries in the arts, but they are extensive,” Consul General Lochman told guests, adding that this kind of collaboration supports the development and well-being of young people on both sides of the border. The event also provided an opportunity to plug Las Vegas as a destination for family fun with guests donning colorful “flash” pins provided by Las Vegas Tourism. The evening ended with an impromptu musical performance by Aga Boom."

Laura Lochman arrived in Calgary June 22 to take up her post as Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories for a three-year term. Her foreign languages include French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.  And don't mess up with her, she also holds a black belt in karate!

Related articles

• U.S. to thank Calgarians for 9/11 support a decade ago (calgaryherald.com)
• Calgarians take time to remember 9/11 (calgaryherald.com)

US Hip-Hop Diplomacy "Recovers" in Karachi and No On Stage B-Boying by American Diplomats

The hip hop group on tour in Pakistan performed in Islamabad, was detained briefly in Rawalpindi, was barred from performing in Lahore (long shadow of Raymond Davis?), then on November 24th, successfully performed at the port city of Karachi.

One may be tempted to call this a 50-50 success, given that the group skipped Peshawar (for good reasons), was unable to perform in Lahore (for fuzzy reasons) but did have successful performances in the capital city of Islamabad, and the country's largest city of Karachi. But is the ability to be on stage in two out of four U.S. posts in Pakistan sufficient to gauge the success of this program in a country where anti-American protests and demonstrations have tripled since the beginning of 2011? Probably not. One might wonder at the effectiveness of a program like this since it only reaches the more or less westernized and educated parts of the country as compared to the more rural, less educated, more suspicious variety of the local population.  I hope somebody back at State's Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau is looking at the performance metrics of programs like these.

On a side note, I am pleased to report that none of our diplomats in Karachi -- not the Consul General or the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) or Cultural Affairs Officer (CAO) went on stage to try their luck with mcing or breakdancing even if it looks like a whole lot of fun. Whew to you, too!

Via YouTube/rashidkhan1973, the FEW Collective with Amjad Sabri Qawwal:

Related articles

• Life & Death in Karachi: A Review of Instant City (changinguppakistan.wordpress.com)
• US 'hip hop diplomacy 'fails to heal rift with Pakistan' (telegraph.co.uk)
• US hip-hop diplomacy hits speed bump in Pakistan (sfgate.com)
• Karachi rally will decide Pakistan's future: Imran (nation.com.pk)

No Superrappin for U.S. Hip-Hop Envoys in Lahore

So last week, the Chicago-based FEW Collective was briefly detained in Pakistan after one of the performers was alleged to have taken "sensitive photographs in the garrison city of Rawalpindi." The US Embassy in Islamabad stresses that "The performer was not aware of restrictions placed on photography in or near the cantonment, and had no intention of taking photographs of sensitive Pakistani government or military installations."

As part of U.S. Embassy's cultural exchange programs,
F.E.W. Collective came to Pakistan to share their dancing
and singing talents with the world.
Photo from US Embassy Islamabad/Flickr

That was last week. Over the weekend the group traveled to Lahore for more performances. USCGLahore tweeted on Nov 19: "Hip Hop group FEW Collective is now in Lahore playing at universities & jamming with students!"

Today, the group was barred from performing at a state-run hall in Lahore for "security reasons." Reports citing the local arts council director, Zulfikar Ali indicate that the scheduled performance had to be cancelled after "the local Al-Hamra Arts Council refused permission over its alleged failure to provide a no objection certificate (NOC) from the provincial home office."

MSN India reports that Lahore Arts Council's executive director Muhammad Ali Baloch says that "the band was not allowed to perform as it failed to provide a "no-objection certificate" issued by the Home Department of Punjab province."

"We had requested the US Consulate in Lahore to provide the NOC but it didn''t give us the same," Baloch told reporters. He said the NOC was a "mandatory legal requirement" for holding such a concert.

This was apparently contradicted by the US Consulate General spokesman Leslie Goodman who  told journalists that "all necessary documents had been provided to the Lahore Arts Council but its management did not allow the band to go ahead with its concert."

US ConGen Lahore posted the following message on its Facebook page:

Sorry fans, due to circumstances beyond our control, the venue decided it could not host the American hip hop performance tonight.  We regret the inconvenience the cancellation has caused to you.

The group's next stop is Karachi.

ConGen Quebec: CG Peter O'Donohue Visits Nunavut

Do you know where Nunavut is?  I didn't. I had to look up the place. It turns out Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.  It is both the least populous and the largest in geography of the provinces and territories of Canada. One of the most remote, sparsely settled regions in the world, it has an estimated population of over 33,000, mostly Inuit, spread over an area the size of Western Europe.

Well, our Consul General in Quebec checked out Nunavut in September. It looks beautiful and brrrr ...... Photos below from post's photostream on Flickr:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Photos from ConGen Quebec/Flickr

Via ConGen Quebec:

CG Peter O'Donohue and his wife Mary Linklater recently met with the Premier of Nunavut Eva Aariak at her Iqaluit office. They traveled to the Arctic Territory of Nunavut September 23 to 30, paying official calls in the capital of Iqaluit and also visiting the Baffin Island communities of Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet. Several hundred people attended the Nunavut Trade Show where a wide range of exhibits showcased the territory's vast potential in the areas of minerals, oil and gas, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure and communications. Opportunities to do business in the territory are tremendous given its extremely rich potential in iron-ore, gold, diamonds, and many other rare minerals.

During stops in Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet, CG met with a wide variety of local officials, entrepreneurs, school administrators, workers, managers of a world renowned art workshop and a fish processing plant. Both hamlets are sited in extraordinary beautiful landscapes and each serves as a Parks Canada headquarters for an adjacent wilderness park (the Auyuittuq Park in Pangnirtung and the Sirmilik Park in Pond Inlet). As if on cue, a pod of five rare bowhead whales appeared in the Pangnirtung fjord during their visit.

Related articles

• Pangnirtung Fiord, Nunavut (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Baffin mayors soften stance on iron mine port (cbc.ca)
• Nunavut landfills a health, environment risk says study (cbc.ca)
• First Air fares to rise in Nunavut (cbc.ca)
• Nunavut's polar bear licence plates may go extinct (cbc.ca)

US Mission Pakistan: New Consul General Assumes Charge of ConGen Peshawar

Officially announced yesterday - the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar has a new Consul General:

Peshawar, July 7, 2011 - Dr. Marie Richards, the new U.S. Consul General, was welcomed to Peshawar today at the 11th Corps’ Garrison Club in a ceremony presided over by U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter.  Dr. Richards brings with her two decades of diplomatic experience, including previous experience in Pakistan and the region.

Ambassador Munter welcomes the new U.S. Consul General Marie Richards to Peshawar. Among the guests were the Provincial Minister for Environment Wajid Ali Khan and Abdul Hakeem Shinwari, Former Vice President of the Tribal Chambers of Commerce & Industry
Photo from US ConGen Peshawar

In his remarks, Ambassador Munter welcomed Dr. Richards as a “great friend of Pakistan.”  He underscored the strong working relationship with officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the FATA Secretariat and noted that “together we have been able to implement projects that improve the lives of the people of this area.”

Under Dr. Richards’ leadership, the U.S. Consulate General looks forward to strengthening cooperation with Pakistan in KP/FATA.  “I am thrilled to be here in Peshawar.  Consulate Peshawar is proud to be a partner of the KP government and the FATA Secretariat.  I look forward to continuing this close collaboration during my tenure,” said Dr. Richards.

Prior to arriving in Peshawar, Dr. Richards served as the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Coordinator at U.S. Embassy Islamabad and as Director for Afghanistan on the staff of the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President.  She was the Deputy Political-Military Counselor in Kabul, Afghanistan, from 2005-2007.  In  Washington, she served as the Asia Section Chief in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers Policy.  She has also served in Guangzhou, China, New Delhi, India, and Karachi, Pakistan.  Dr. Richards is fluent in Urdu and proficient in Pashto.

Active links added above.  Dr. Richards succeeds Elizabeth Rood who departed Peshawar in December 2010 a few months after arrival at post (see US Mission Pakistan: reports of Consul General's departure due to Taliban threats wrong | Sunday, December 12, 2010). Ms. Rood who is back in the United States has reportedly joined the State Department's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN).

Related articles

• Peshawar blast targets foreigners - BBC News (news.google.com)
• Kayani sought US assistance in FATA operation: WikiLeaks (nation.com.pk)
• Deadly bomb strikes near Peshawar (bbc.co.uk)
• Blast hits U.S. Consulate vehicles in Pakistan (cnn.com)
• "One killed, 13 injured in Peshawar car blast US Consulate vehicles attacked; diplomats’ movement restricted; TTP claims responsibility" and related posts (thefrontierpost.com)

4th of July - U.S. Embassy Celebration Round-Up (Part 2)

US Embassy Belgrade, Serbia | June 30, 2011

Ambassador Mary Warlick: "This year we celebrate a milestone, 130 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. In 1878, within days of Serbia gaining independence at the Congress of Berlin, the U.S. Ambassador to Vienna recommended to Washington that the United States establish formal relations with the Principality of Serbia. Although our economic relationship at the time was limited, the United States wanted to extend its support and official recognition to Serbia's hard earned independence. Thus, in Belgrade in October of 1881, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance Čedomilj Mijatović and U.S. diplomat Eugene Schuyler signed a Consular Convention and Treaty of Commerce."

US Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick with husband, US Ambassador to
Bulgaria James Warlick during the July 4th celebration
at the US Embassy in Serbia
Photo from US Embassy Serbia/Facebook

US Embassy Nassau, Bahamas | June 30, 2011
"On Thursday, June 30 the United States Embassy observed the 235th Anniversary of Independence of the United States of America by co-hosting a grand celebration in Freeport, Grand Bahama under the theme, “Celebrating the United States’ Great Military Traditions”.  The event was held in partnership with the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) aboard the U.S. Naval Ship USS VICKSBURG at the Lucayan Harbour."

Minister of Housing The Hon. Kenneth Russell and Mrs. Russell,
Mr. Theodore Sarandos (Netflix's Chief Content Office and ambassador's spouse),
U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole A. Avant,
USNORTHCOM Admiral James A. Winnefeld Jr., and Mrs. Winnefeld
participate in the official cake cutting ceremony

U.S. Embassy Paraguay | 1 July 2011

235º Aniversario de la Independencia| 1 de julio, 2011 - "Esta mañana, se llevó a cabo el Izamiento de la Bandera en conmemoración del 235º aniversario de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos de América. La Embajadora, Liliana Ayalde, dio lectura al mensaje de la Secretaria de Estado, Hillary Clinton, con motivo de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos, celebrada cada 4 de julio. El solemne acto se llevó a cabo en los jardines de la Embajada."

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Photos from US Embassy Paraguay/Flickr

US Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan |  July 02.2011

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Photos from US Embassy Kabul/Flickr

US Embassy Ottawa, Canada | July 4, 2011

Canada - USA Ambassador's BBQ Cup held at the official residence of the U.S. ambassador, David Jacobson.  Three teams from Canada against three teams from the U.S. which reportedly served 4,000 guests.  Oh, yes, the Canadian team swept all three categories for chicken, ribs and pork butt! Ambassador Jacobson blogged about his bbq event with the 4,000 friends here.  Photos of the yummy bbq here.  Press coverage here.

Video via YouTube/Graemeken.

US Mission Pakistan: Islamabad | July 4, 2011

U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter, Pakistani Prime Minister Raza Gilani and wife of Ambassador Munter, Dr. Marilyn Wyatt cut the cake at Independence Day celebration in Islamabad. Also in photo is Minister of Interior Rehman Malik
Photo from US Embassy Pakistan

US Consulate General Lahore | June 30, 2011

"U.S. Consulate General Lahore celebrated 235th Independence day of the United States of America with great enthusiasm and festivities. Deputy Chief of Mission Richard E. Hoagland from Islamabad also participated in the event. [...] This year’s theme was “Washington State” since our current Consul General Carmela Conroy was born there.  The party was based on a street market in Washington State called Pike Place Market.  The food represented Washington State specialties like apples and onions and were named after Washington State cities, famous locations and companies. Adding to the street market scene and feel, USAID displayed and presented seven projects that are currently underway in Pakistan. "

Deputy Chief of Mission Richard E. Hoagland, U.S. Consul General Carmela Conroy, and chief guest Shehryar Taseer cutting the Independence Day celebration party cake
Photo from US CG Lahore/Facebook

US ConGen Karachi Sponsors Network!! Pakistan's First Social Media Summit

The US Consulate General in Karachi recently sponsored Pakistan's first ever social media summit held in Avari Hotel from June 10-11 2011. Its partners include Intel,  Apple, Newsweek Pakistan, PC World Magazine, IDG, iRaffles and Express, Pakistan's second largest media group.  It also had representatives from Twitter and Wordpress skyped from the US to be part of the Summit. 

Indonesian bloggers Heny and Dita talk about social media for community activism and community service in education and in combatting corruption.
Photo from US ConGen Karachi/Facebook

There are reportedly 3 million bloggers in Pakistan, and with over 4 million people on Facebook, it is ranked 26th in the world. Its internet penetration rate is at 23.42% and growing, while its mobile penetration is at 60.4%.  Less than 2% of Pakistan’s population is on Twitter as of 2011 but as a sign of the microblogging increasing popularity, Zong, a second network now officially supports Twitter updates via SMS.

International participants included Mohamed El Dahshan (Egypt), Hanny Kusumawati and Anandita Puspitasari (Indonesia), Rebecca Chiao (Egypt), Ong Hock Chuan (Malaysia), Claire Diaz Ortiz (US) and Karim Osman (Netherlands), as well as other bloggers who participated via Skype.

Via The Express Tribune:

Watch this overview too on new media users in Pakistan.

The sessions include  topics on Education & Good Governance: Going Digital, Women & Social Activism in the New Media Era, and Monetizing Your Social Media Space followed by some 20 breakout workshops. "The idea of the summit is to enable a collective gathering of people from the Pakistani Blogosphere and how to enable them as well as understand better on bringing about a positive change through social media."

The US Consul General in Karachi gets to open the event (video), and has an op-ed carried by Pakistan's Tribune newspaper, and republished in other media outlets online:

"Pakistan enjoys tremendous freedom of information and online expression. As a representative of the United States, I am keenly aware of the vibrancy of that free speech every time I log in to my computer or pick up a newspaper. Although a bit bruised sometimes, I welcome it! By amplifying the diversity of voices, social media is making life a richer experience for us all."

Consul General William Martin delivers opening remarks at Network!!
Photo from US ConGen Karachi/Facebook

It is not surprising to see some familiar faces involved in this event - Andie de Arment of CG Karachi and Tristram Perry of CG Lahore, both officers previously worked together in US Mission Indonesia, the Bigfoot in the State Department's social media footprint. 

Rabia from CIO Magazine/PC World along with moderators, presenters, international bloggers, as well as IO Andie & IO Tristram from Lahore.
Photo from US ConGen Karachi/Facebook

More photos here from Tribune and here from US CG Karachi Facebook. Awesome work folks!

Related articles

• Young Pakistanis blog, tweet to push for change (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Network Pakistan hosts Int’l Social Media Summit (Daily Times)
• Social Media Revolution (Dawn.com)
  

Top Embassy Facebook Pages – 10,000+ Fan Club

The State Department maintains 248 Facebook pages with a total of 2,424,191 fans.  The following ranking is based on  the stats from the Office of Innovation Dashboard (thanks Darren!). Excluded from the list are American Centers, IRCs and other groups not directly managed by embassies/consulates. US Embassy Jakarta Facebook, #1 in the list below is #2 in the State Department's Top Ten Pages.  US Embassy LaPaz, #2 in the ranking below is #10 in the State Department's Top Ten Pages (includes non-embassy pages).

I cannot tell off hand which post/mission has a dedicated social media team. In a majority of cases, I understand that new media outreach is performed as collateral duties by the FSNs and FSOs in the Public Affairs Section. It is time intensive and performed in addition to demands by the traditional media and other work requirements of the section. Other posts have hired locals as new media staff, but I'm not sure which ones below have that extra help.

#	Post	Number of Fans	Bureau
1*	U.S. Embassy - Jakarta, Indonesia	323,720	EAP
2*	Embajada de Estados Unidos en La Paz	37,428	WHA
3	US Consulate General Surabaya	35,247	EAP
4	U.S. Embassy Colombo, Sri Lanka	35,208	SCA
5	U.S. Embassy Cairo News and Information	32,486	NEA
6	Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Paraguay	32,310	WHA
7	U.S. Consulate General Karachi	30,002	SCA
8	U.S. Embassy, Manila Philippines	27,742	EAP
9	Embaixada dos EUA - Brasil	23,328	WHA
10	US Consulate General Lahore	20,580	SCA
11	United States Mission to South Africa	18,614	AF
12	U.S. Embassy Pakistan	18,565	SCA
13	Embajada de Estados Unidos en Peru	17,402	WHA
14	Embajada de Estados Unidos en Costa Rica	17,401	WHA
15	Estamos Unidos Panama	16,219	WHA
16	U.S. Embassy France	15,315	EUR
17	Consulado General de los Estados Unidos en Guayaquil	13,720	WHA
18	U.S. Embassy-Dhaka	13,268	SCA
19	U.S. Embassy Bridgetown	11,921	WHA
20	U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa	11,508	WHA
21	U.S. Embassy Baghdad	10,594	NEA
22	L'Ambassade des Etats Unis, Kinshasa (French)	10,403	AF

* Between Dhaka and Bridgetown above should be US Embassy Nepal (SCA) whose FB page currently has 12,491 fans (thanks Heather!).  See notes below.

I should note that US ConGen Lahore and Karachi have now been in the Dashboard's top "movers" in the last several months. Each has been raking in fans and one or the other may soon dislodge US Embassy Sri Lanka  as #1 FB page in the SCA region.  Embassy Islamabad, trailing both in fandom is also running an FB logo contest, dangling an Apple Ipod Nano and an invitation to a U.S. Embassy official event as prizes.

ConGen Lahore ran "top fan" and "old is gold" competitions, and also a series on the "old is gold" theme including Duke Ellington performance in Lahore in 1963 and the Apollo 17 Astronauts visit to Pakistan in 1973.

ConGen Karachi engages with its fans actively and has been quite liberal with sharing photos of its official activities. It is also running a contest allowing its fans to pick the consulate's profile photo in FB. It has 450 votes and counting. Below is the leading pick:

Consul General William Martin, Cultural Affairs Officer Sue, and
Information Officer Andie with Public Affairs Team
at Jinnah's Tomb Karachi

US Embassy Bridgetown FB seems quite a popular destination for visa inquiries. Although it refuses to answer visa inquiries posted on its wall, it provides a discussion forum for its fans.

US Embassy Paris FB, the only EUR post to make it to the 10,000+ fan club will not be running a profile photo contest; it already has one with Ambassador Rivkin and President Obama.

US Embassy Baghdad FB is the only war zone post that made it to this list.  It is mostly in Arabic so besides seeing that it's continuing with its "window" series, I can't tell much what's going on there.  Embassies in Tripoli, Kabul, and Mexico are also in Facebook with varying levels of foreign public engagements.

Of course, I need not point out that the WHA posts dominate this fandom list. But my brain refuses to translate today. So go ahead and check out each mission using the links above.


Updated @1:33 pm EST:
I was told that a 3:1 ratio of LES:FSO in field PAS sections actually log-in regularly to engage foreign publics. 

Heather of Adventures Around the World, currently posted in Kathmandu points out that US Embassy Nepal has over 12,000 fans in Facebook. The omission was unintentional; I based my list on the Dashboard, which identifies 22 sites and a total of 175,952 fans in the SCA region.  US Embassy Nepal FB has been left out of the Dashboard. I have added the stats above.    

Updated @ 10:01 pm PST
Okay, so I was told by mothership-type person about that 3:1 ratio of LES:FSO in field PAS sections who "actually log-in regularly to engage foreign publics." The source of this ratio is supposedly a recently conducted survey, in-house, of course, among social media community managers in the field.  I have requested to see the survey and the results including the metrics used, if any by the State Department to measure engagement (besides fan numbers, that is).

After hours, I've received more than one question on that 3:1 ratio of FSNs and FSOs working the new media gig. From the same folks reportedly surveyed I was told, "don't know where that 3:1 ratio for LES (FSNs) and FSOs came from," with my correspondents insisting that 3:1 is not at all accurate citing examples when that ratio is 1:1.  One says that it is "vital to have Americans actively engaged, as one of the purposes of the page is people-to-people interaction between Americans and a foreign audience." And I agree, which also brings into question FB pages that are primarily in foreign languages instead of English. I mean, it is good if American officers do show that they know the host country's language in their online engagement, but some of State's FB pages are not even in English, while others are bilingual, with English as the minority language in the official FB posts.

At one point, USIS centers were everywhere; but the programs were in English for the most part.  In the case of US Embassy Jakarta FB which is run mostly in the local language, I am under the impression that the online engagement is primarily done by its local staff. Where is the American face there?

Another correspondent questions the uneven quality of the Facebook pages and moans the emphasis placed on number of FB fans rather than on the basics -- good photos, engaging stories, effective outreach events, etc.  and of course, results.  If you have 50,000 FB fans, what does that mean in the real world? Are we winning hearts and minds online?

I understand the frustration, but unfortunately, the fan numbers are the easiest to dig up.  I am looking for other metrics that State is using to measure engagement and effectivity effectiveness of Facebook pages beyond number of fans. I will update if I hear from anyone.

US Consulate General Peshawar: IED Targets Two Consulate Vehicles

Just a few days after a Saudi diplomat was killed by two men riding a motorcycle in Karachi, Pakistan, Al Jazeera is reporting that two US Consulate vehicles were attacked today in Peshawar.

At least one person has been killed and 10 others wounded after an attack on two US consulate vehicles in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Pakistani police said a roadside bomb struck two vehicles carrying foreigners on Friday, killing a Pakistani passer-by.

The US embassy later confirmed that two of its consulate vehicles had been targeted, and that one of them was badly damaged.

"Two vehicles of the US consulate were on their way to the consulate when they were attacked," US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said.

"One vehicle was damaged. There is no death among our personnel and there are no serious injuries," he added.

"Only one car was hit. In that car there were US citizen diplomats and a Pakistani driver."

Ijaz Khan, a police superintendent, told the Reuters news agency that two American security guards were slightly wounded, and were being treated at a US medical facility.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the capital, Islamabad, said, "Because the vehicle was bomb proof, none of the people in the vehicle was killed."

Liaqat Ali, Peshawar police chief, said a local man riding on a motorbike was killed in the blast, which took place on a main road in the city.

Read Pakistan blast strikes US consulate convoy here.

A brief AFP video of the bombing aftermath is below:

The US Embassy is Islamabad has issued the following statement:

Terrorist Attack on U.S. Consulate Personnel in Peshawar | May 20, 2011

Islamabad- This morning, a vehicle belonging to the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar was hit by an improvised explosive device. The explosion damaged the vehicle, but no U.S. personnel were seriously injured. According to media reports, at least one person was killed and bystanders were injured.

We appreciate the support of Pakistani authorities, who responded immediately and are investigating the incident.

Our thoughts are with all those injured by this heinous attack.

The United States is committed to working with Pakistan in our joint effort to combat terrorism and to bring to justice those behind this attack.

We note that the Saudi diplomat who was killed a few days ago was reported in the news media as a security officer of the Saudi Consulate in Karachi and was killed on his way to work.  He was attacked by two men on a motorcycle. Sounds Ray-Davish enough? Except that the dead diplomat, apparently did not have a gun. If he had one, and shot first, he might still be alive today. Of course, he could have ended in a circus, too, but better that than dead. 

I'm not advocating that our diplomats run around with guns but aren't they like -- sitting targets over there? Their protection is supposedly the responsibility of the host country, but this is Pakistan! And we're still talking about a civilian surge?

A note on the official vehicles - thank heavens they were armored to the teeth! And I hope no one is thinking of self-drive in POVs in Pakistan right now as a morale issue. 

Related articles

• Roadside bomb hits US consulate vehicle, 2 killed 10 injured (nation.com.pk)
• Pakistan: militants attack US consulate staff (telegraph.co.uk)
• Pakistan Taliban claim responsibility for attack on U.S. convoy (thestar.com)
• Peshawar blast targets foreigners (bbc.co.uk)