Military

DATE=3/19/2002

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-287717

TITLE=PAK/CHURCH ATTACK (L)

BYLINE=AYAZ GUL

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has suspended two senior

police officers after Sunday's grenade attack on a Protestant church in the

Pakistani capital that killed five people, including two Americans. From

Islamabad, Ayaz Gul reports.

TEXT: The Pakistani leader took the decision at a high-level meeting that

was summoned to review the law and order situation following the church

attack. An official statement says President Musharraf has suspended

Inspector General and senior superintendent of Islamabad police over the

security lapse.

According to eyewitnesses, an unknown man entered the church in a

diplomatic area of the city and threw grenades at about 70 foreign

worshipers during a Sunday service.

The attack killed five people, including the wife and teenage daughter of

an American diplomat. Bodies of a Pakistani and an Afghan national have been

identified. But the fifth one is mutilated beyond recognition. Police

believe it may belong to the attacker because no one among the congregation has been reported missing.

The Pakistani government is seeking help from the Federal Bureau of

Investigation to identify the body.

The church attack has prompted the United States to issue a fresh warning

to Americans against traveling to Pakistan. No group has claimed

responsibility for the "terrorist act"

Pakistani President Musharraf's support for the U-S led war against terrorism and his crackdown on extremist groups at home has earned him hostility from

Islamic militants. It is widely believed that the outraged lay behind

Sunday's grenade attack on the Protestant International Church, which is mostly attended by members of the diplomatic community in the capital city.

Assistant Secretary of State Christian Rocca and the U-S commander of all

coalition forces in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks briefly met President

Musharraf on Tuesday. An official statement says during the meeting the Pakistani leader reaffirmed to the United States his government's resolve to fight terrorism. (SIGNED)

NEB/AG/SAB