PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen fired at the top American diplomat in the city on Tuesday soon after she, along with two other employees, left her residence in the University Town on her way to the US Consulate in the Cantonment area in a bullet-proof vehicle.

Principal Officer Lynne Tracy and the two other occupants of her vehicle remained unhurt. A rickshaw-driver, Gohar Ali, sustained injuries when the diplomat’s driver hastily reversed the car to drive back to her residence and hit his three-wheeler.

“The principal officer of the US Consulate in Peshawar, Lynne Tracy, had just come out of her residence on the Rahman Baba Road in the posh University Town at around 8 am when some people, waiting in a Land Cruiser, opened fire on the diplomat’s bullet-proof car with an automatic weapon,” a source familiar with the incident told The News.

The source added that a driver and a security guard were in the car along with the diplomat when it came under attack but none was hurt. The incident was the first of its kind in Peshawar.

Cops are investigating as to whether the attackers weren’t properly trained or became



nervous or for some other reason were able to fire only five shots from their AK-47 (Kalashnikov) rifle that can fire 30 to 75 rounds in a burst. The attackers managed to hit the bonnet of the vehicle, missing its windscreen. Police cordoned off the area and started an investigation. Inspector General of the Frontier Police, Malik Naveed Khan, and City Police Chief, Mohammad Suleman, later visited the residence of the diplomat and assured her that the culprits would be nabbed soon.

A spokesman for the US Consulate said there was a security incident in Peshawar on Tuesday morning involving a US Consulate vehicle and three employees. “There were no injuries but minimal damage to the car. We are coordinating with the Pakistani authorities investigating the incident,” the spokesman told The News.

The US Consulate, where the diplomat’s vehicle was headed when it was fired at, is located in the Peshawar Cantonment. It is considered as the most protected building in the province. The number of cops deputed there exceeds those guarding the Frontier House, the official residence of the NWFP chief minister. All the roads leading to the US Consulate have been blocked for more than six years now and commuters have to take alternate routes to reach their destinations. This (traffic diversion) has been causing congestion on the roads in the Peshawar Cantonment.

Lynne Tracy served at the US Consulate in Peshawar in the past as well. This is her second posting in the city and is familiar with the area and the people. Before taking her new position in Peshawar last year, she was serving in Central Asia. Around 30 other Americans are working in the US Consulate in Peshawar, which does not issue visas and manages to hold a few social and cultural events in a year.

NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, while condemning the incident, said the assailants would be arrested soon. He said that all necessary measures had already been taken to provide security to foreigners living in Peshawar and other parts of the province. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior, Rahman Malik, directed the Frontier Police chief to prepare a detailed report and work out the case within 48 hours.

APP adds: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday condemned the incident of firing on a vehicle of the US Consulate in Peshawar. Spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Muhammad Sadiq in a statement said: “Police and provincial authorities are in contact with the US Consulate and the incident is being investigated.” He said steps for providing enhanced security had been taken. The spokesman said the government was committed to all possible measures for the security of the diplomatic community.