>> I WANT TO TAKE YOU TO
BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW.
DOZENS ARE DEAD IN PAKISTAN
TODAY AFTER A SUICIDE BOMBER
ATTACKED A POLITICAL RALLY.
IT HAPPENED IN THE NORTHWESTERN
PART OF THE COUNTRY.
NBC’S MATT BRADLEY IS TRACKING
THE DEVELOPMENTS FOR US.
MATT, WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR?
>> RICHARD, WE HEARD IN THE
LAST TEN MINUTES THAT THE DEATH
TOLL FROM THIS BLAST HAS
INCREASED FROM 30 TO 55, THERE
ARE NOW MORE THAN 135 INJURED.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WITH LEAPS
LIKE THAT IN THE CASUALTY
NUMBERS, WE PROBABLY HAVEN’T
HEARD THE LAST AND THERE’S
PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME SORT
OF INCREASE IN THE CASUALTY
NUMBERS GOING FORWARD AS THE
BODIES ARE COUNTED.
AND THE WOUNDED ARE BEING TAKEN
CARE OF, HOSPITALS ARE
APPARENTLY OVERWHELMED WITH THE
WOUNDED AND SOME OF THE MORE
CRITICAL CASES ARE BEING FLOWN
FARAWAY TO PUSH OUR.
NO ONE HAS CLAIMED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ATTACK.
THAT IS RATHER TYPICAL.
IN THE HOURS THIS HAS HAPPENED,
BUT THIS WAS A POLITICAL PARTY
--
THAT IS PRO TALIBAN.
IT HAS A NATIONWIDE PRESENCE
BUT THIS WAS A LOCAL RALLY.
ONE OF THE LOCAL LEADING
POLITICIANS OF THIS PARTY WAS
AMONG THOSE 55 WHO ARE DEAD.
THIS PARTY ACTUALLY IS PART OF
THE RULING COALITION.
SO IT’S A POWERFUL GROUP, BUT
IT IS PRO TALIBAN.
THEY ARE IN FAVOR OF THE
TALIBAN NEXT DOOR IN
AFGHANISTAN.
THIS PARTICULAR PART OF
PAKISTAN HAS SEEN A SPIKE IN
ISLAMIC AND TERRORIST ACTIVITY
OVER THE PAST YEAR OR TWO.
THAT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS HOW THE
SECURITY SITUATION THERE HAS
BEEN DETERIORATING AFTER THE
TALIBAN TOOK CONTROL OF ALL OF
AFGHANISTAN.
THIS IS PART OF A PATTERN WE’VE
BEEN SEEING OF MILITANCY
INCREASING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE
GROUP THAT IS OPPOSED, ONE OF
THE STRONGEST GROUPS OPPOSED TO
THE TALIBAN STILL IN
AFGHANISTAN, IS ISLAMIC STATE.
YOU REMEMBER THAT THEY HAVE A
FRANCHISE IN AFGHANISTAN.
THEY HAVE BEEN TARGETING THE
TALIBAN.
THAT’S WHY OFFICIALS SUSPICION
IS LIKELY TO FALL ON ISLAMIC
STATE ELEMENTS FOR TARGETING
THIS PARTICULAR POLITICAL PARTY
IN NEIGHBORING PAKISTAN.
ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES HERE,
RICHARD, ONE OF THE THINGS A
LOT OF PAKISTANIS ARE WORRIED
ABOUT, WHEN WE SEE AN INCREASE
IN MILITANT ACTIVITY TARGETING
POLITICIANS, TARGETING
POLITICAL GROUPS LIKE TODAY, IT
RAISES CONCERNS THAT THERE
COULD BE AN INCREASE IN ISLAMIC
STATE DIVVY OR TERRORIST
ACTIVITY AHEAD OF A GENERAL
ELECTION THIS FALL.
THAT IS A BIG ISSUE FOR
PAKISTANIS.
THIS COULD BE A DECISIVE VOTE.
THIS PARTICULAR POLITICAL RALLY
WAS AIMED AT RALLYING VOTERS
AHEAD OF THIS ELECTION IN THE
FALL AND IT COULD KEEP VOTERS