3 Dead in Possible Robbery of U.S. Official in Pakistan
The already strained relations between U.S. and Pakistan have taken another hit, as a U.S. diplomat has killed 3 men in Lahore. Mr. Raymond Davis claims that he has done so in self-defense, claim reinforced by photos of his vehicle with numerous bullet holes and a shattered rear window.
The accounts differ, with western newspapers reporting that he was confronted by two men on a motorbike armed with weapons at a traffic light. Mr. Davis went on to fire upon the individuals with his unsanctioned firearm (Beretta); U.S. foreign diplomats are not supposed to carry arms and their security is supposed to be provided by Consul staff. He killed both of the attackers, but the way by which the 3rd one has died remains to be clearly defined. Some newspapers are running the story that Mr. Davis ran him over, some claim that he was shot, while the other have stated that there was a 2nd car that has struck the 3rd individual. At this point, reliability of information is murky, with local newspapers claiming that he was a "foreigner" (thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=18912), forgetting to mention that he is a diplomat.
The situation in the region is likely to heat up in regards to the incident because of the already present popular dislike of U.S. presence in Pakistan. It is a vital ally to the U.S. and at the same time a safe haven for Taliban that use the Afghanistan/Pakistan border as safe haven bases for future attacks. The situation is developing along the lines that do not see a favorable PR outcome for U.S.
-Blog post by Danil Khrustov
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