Obama promises Pak $7.5 bn aid as Khyber terror attack kills 70

US president Barack Obama announced on Friday an increase of aid to Pakistan and a boost of troops in Afghanistan to “defeat” al-Qaeda and the Taliban. But just hours before he unveiled his strategy, terror struck a packed mosque in northwest Pakistan with a suicide bomber blowing himself up during Friday prayers, leaving more than 70 dead and 200 wounded in one of the bloodiest attacks of late.

In his address, Obama said he would seek to increase economic and development aid to Pakistan to about $7.5 billion over five years ($1.5 billion annually) in exchange for that country cracking down on militants. Also, he said, 4,000 more US troops would be sent to Afghanistan, in addition to the 17,000 already ordered there, to train Afghan forces. The blueprint for rebuilding the country’s army comes amid increased insurgent attacks and before Afghanistan’s presidential election scheduled for August 20.

The Pakistani mosque where the bomb went off is in Jamrud, a town in the restive Khyber tribal region located on a key road used to ferry supplies to Western troops across the border in Afghanistan.
Only two minarets were left intact at the mosque, which is frequented by tribal police and paramilitary officers fighting the
Taliban and other militants in the Khyber. The Taliban have carried out a string of attacks on both trucks and transport depots along the route in recent months, destroying scores of military vehicles and raising doubts about the reliability of the supply line.

“The situation is increasingly perilous,” Obama said, justifying his plan. “Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al-Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the US homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan... Make no mistake: Al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within.”