Deadly Bombing Targeted Pakistani Christians; Belgian Muslims Fear Public Backlash; Syria Forces Recapture Palmyra From ISIS
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, dozens of women and children are dead in an Easter Sunday attack targeting Christians in Pakistan. Nazi salute, an anti-immigrant chant disrupt what was supposed to be a peaceful memorial for victims of the Brussels attacks. And Donald Trump tries to explain why his foreign policy plan comes up short on many specifics. Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now. On Christianity's holiest day, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban targeted Christians in a suicide attack. And a spokesman for the militant group vowed more violence will follow. The explosion in a park in Lahore killed at least 67 people on Easter Sunday. More than 300 others were wounded in a horrific scene near a playground.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): We went to a canteen to have something to eat when there was suddenly a big blast. Everyone panicked, running in all directions. Many of them were blocked at the gate of the park. Dead bodies could be found everywhere.</s>SESAY: Well, Ravi Agrawal joins us now with the very latest. Ravi, what more are we learning from the authorities about what happened?</s>RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INDIA BUREAU CHIEF: Isha, what we're learning is that this is an attack that was conducted by a terrorist group. The group is a group that is a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban. It's called Jamat-ul-Ahrar. And they are saying that this was an attack in sort of, you know, one of the strongholds of Pakistan's government, in the city of Lahore, which is where Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif is from. It is also where his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, is the chief minister of the state of Punjab, which Lahore is a part of. And this is an area of Pakistan which sees attacks less frequently than other parts of Pakistan. So it's a real symbol from this group that they can attack, you know, a part of Pakistan like Lahore. So it's a message to the government. It is also a message that they are out to attack Christians as the group spokesperson explicitly told CNN. Now I want to make clear, though, that this was a blast that took place in a park right by where the blast took place, there were swings, and it was a playground. So a majority of the people who have been killed and injured may be children and women. That's what we're hearing from witnesses. And the bomb blast could be heard from kilometers away. So this was a really sort of big explosion right in the heart of Lahore.</s>SESAY: Yes. Terrible scenes there that we're showing our viewers. Ravi, how will the government respond to this? What are they saying?</s>AGRAWAL: Well, the prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, he held a meeting with his top ministers on Sunday, exploring options, looking into how they can go after this particular group, Jamat-ul-Ahrar. Pakistan's army general has also said that he is exploring options, looking into what they can do. But I should remind you. I mean there actually is some sympathy in Pakistan for groups that are out to attack Christians. And that is best exemplified by the fact that on Sunday itself, the same day as this attack took place, in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, there were protests. Those protests were aimed at telling the Pakistani government that these people wanted to -- they wanted the execution of a Christian woman called Asia Bibi for allegedly blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed. So there is a wider climate in Pakistan that many Christians say that they're quite fearful of. So that what we're dealing with. And obviously Pakistan's government says it's going to do everything it can to stop these kinds of attacks.</s>SESAY: Ravi Agrawal joining us there with the very latest after that attack in Lahore. Ravi, appreciate it. Thank you so much. Let's turn now to CNN intelligence and security analyst Bob Baer who joins us now for some perspective. Bob, good to have you with us. This Pakistani Taliban splinter group that's claiming responsibility, what more can you tell us about them and really how plausible is it that they could have pulled something like this off?</s>ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Isha, it's plausible because one of these vests they could easily make them either in Lahore or even the tribal areas and simply, you know, somebody take a bus down. It's very easy to do. That park was -- didn't have much security, wasn't well defended, very crowded. High casualty rate. I would imagine as a military explosive was used, that this indeed was a suicide bomber. You know, almost any group in Pakistan could carry this off. And you know, it's probably the Takfiri group, and probably the Pakistani Taliban, this breakaway group. Very radical. They attacked the school in 2014, the military school, killed more than 100 people. And you know, there's something else I'd like to say is Tashfeen Malik, the San Bernardino shooter, the woman there, had gone to school in the Punjab and was from the Punjab. She was from Multan. There's a good chance -- and they haven't determined this -- that she was trained, militarily trained in the Punjab.</s>SESAY: Bob, this attack happened in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, which is the home of the ruling party. Talk to me about the significance of striking this particular area.</s>BAER: Well, it's a strike right at the heart of power in Nawaz Sharif and his brother control the Punjab completely. As we've been talking about, they've been worried about the Taliban for a long time. They have training camps there. They operate in the open nearly, and the government has been very reluctant to go after them simply because there are so many of them in the Punjab. There are so many radicalized groups, it would be a nightmare trying to root them out.</s>SESAY: An interesting point was made by our own Ravi Agrawal just a couple of moments ago. He said that there are some that are sympathetic with these groups that attack Christians there in Pakistan. You know the climate in Pakistan pretty well. Give us your perspective.</s>BAER: Well, my daughter is a Christian from Pakistan, adopted daughter. And it's -- this community is embattled. It clearly is. I mean there is maybe 1 percent, 2 percent of the population. They're vulnerable. They're of course not armed. They have no political power. Then let's not forget these same Takfiri groups that are also going after the Shia as well. A lot of bombings over the years. So they think these communities where they're Christian or Shia, you know, degrade the religion. This is very -- you know, it's a Wahabi sect there. The Deobandis. You know, it's a tough situation. And the government doesn't even know where to start to root this out. I imagine they're going to arrest some people, but getting to the bottom of the Pakistani Taliban and the fact that it's split up in so many factions is going to be very difficult.</s>SESAY: So that being said, the difficulty given the number, can they thwart future attacks?</s>BAER: No, you can't stop these attacks, Isha. They're just impossible. Too many arms there. Too many explosives. Too many people willing to martyr themselves. You know, and especially with the war going on in Afghanistan, that tends to spill back over into Pakistan, and there's Kashmir as well which spills back over into Pakistan. I mean, Pakistan climbed up on the back of the tiger, and now it's paying the price.</s>SESAY: Bob Baer, always so good to have you on the program. Thank you so much for that analysis. Very much appreciated.</s>BAER: Thank you.</s>SESAY: Well, it seems like all of Europe is on edge after the horrific attacks in Brussels. Dutch police have arrested a man in Rotterdam on suspicion of plotting a terror attack in France. He's expected to be extradited there soon. And a total of 13 raids were carried out in and around Brussels on Sunday. Four people are still detained. Authorities haven't said if they've produced any helpful leads in Tuesday's terror attacks. Now what was supposed to be a quiet vigil to remember victims of the attacks quickly got out of control Sunday when hundreds of protesters stormed the memorial at Place de la Bourse shouting anti-immigrant slogans. Some were even seen making Nazi salutes. Police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowds. Well, the protests are indicative of a major rift in the way Belgians are responding to terror. We saw similar divisions in Paris after the aftermath of those attacks with an anti-Muslim sentiment coming to the fore. Muslims in Brussels are seeing much of the same as our own Saima Mohsin reports.</s>SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Samoon Ahmed Khan had a lucky escape. He missed both the attacks at the airport and metro by minutes. He's in Brussels on a business trip and has barely left his hotel since the bombings. But not just because he's afraid of terrorist attacks.</s>SAMOON AHMED KHAN, FINANCIAL INVESTIGATOR: I stay in the hotel for two days. I even did not go out because I was scared what will be the people's reaction because of my beard or because I'm Muslim. I'm from Pakistan. Second I was scared because the control of forces, the police. They're doing their job. I'm not saying they're doing it for the people's safety. But I don't want to be in that trauma situation where they will be keeping me for four to five hours.</s>MOHSIN: His wife and family were concerned about racial attacks in a backlash against Muslims. His company advised him not to travel.</s>KHAN: And I was scared because of the bag. If I go from one train station to another with my suitcase and with my appearance.</s>MOHSIN: Samoon's fears are not unfounded. On Sunday, right-wing protesters charged through the memorial in Place de la Bourse, stamping on flowers, raising Nazi salutes. Just a day before, members of Brussels' Muslim community came out to show solidarity with their fellow citizens, laying bouquets of flowers for the victims. Muslim mothers brought their children to light candles.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): For me, it's immoral and shameful. Not all Muslims are terrorists. We are against terrorists. We are nice Muslims.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): We are human beings. Our relationship with God is separate. We're not allowed to judge others. We should put our spiritual side aside and work together, build together.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): There are two types of Muslims. There are those who are not good and those who are good. We are not all the same.</s>MOHSIN: This little girl wrote a message saying, "I'm against terrorism. Why all this war?" Declarations and questions too big for a small child. For some in this community, it's unbearable that Muslims could carry out such a heinous attack.</s>SONIA CHAABANE, BELGIAN MUSLIM (Through Translator): It hurts. These are innocent human beings that are dead. It shouldn't happen. They shouldn't kill innocent people. They haven't done anything. It's not our religion that kills. It's got nothing to do with it. Islam is a peaceful religion.</s>MOHSIN: Among the flags of countries that too have suffered from terror attacks, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, France, a banner above them all reads, "Not in the name of Islam." Saima Mohsin, CNN, Brussels.</s>SESAY: Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is congratulating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS. Mr. Putin says Russian air support was key to the Syrian army's success, and that Moscow would continue supporting Damascus in fighting terrorists. ISIS destroyed some of Palmyra's historic ruins and antiquities after seizing the city last May. The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO called the destruction a war crime. It says it plans to evaluate the extent of the damage soon. Well, for more on Syria's victory in Palmyra, we turn now to CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He joins us live via Skype from La Quinta in California.. It is always good to have you with us. Colonel Francona, break down the strategic importance of recapturing Palmyra.</s>LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Palmyra, the victory there is significant on two fronts. One is the symbolic issue because now we've seen ISIS defeated in at least five battles, three in Iraq, that's Tikrit, Baiji and Ramadi, and now they've lost Khobani and just recently the fall of Palmyra. I mean, this sends a real signal to the rest of the world that ISIS is not indefeatable. They can be taken down. Operationally it's significant because Palmyra sits on a nexus of many of the roads. The logistics hub of Syria right goes right through Palmyra. The Syrians are going to need Palmyra if they're going to attack on Raqqa. They've been able to push ISIS back up against the Euphrates Valley, and that's good. They also are now able to move further to the east, to the city of Deir ez-Zor where there is a besieged Syrian army garrison who's been kept alive by months by just air drops. So this is a real victory for the Syrian army. And it looks like it might be a turning point in the battle against ISIS in Syria.</s>SESAY: OK. It could be a turning point against ISIS in Syria, what many around the world will be asking, does this mean that the Syrian army is equal to the task of beating them and retaking Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold that everyone says needs to be taken?</s>FRANCONA: Yes. That's going to be a real problem because Raqqa, of course, you know they've had it for a long time. They've been able to build defenses there. And that will be their last stand. That's their capital. But the Syrian army is up to the task as long as they have Russian support. Russian air power, as Mr. Putin said, was key to this victory. When you control the airspace, you have a great advantage. ISIS has no air force. They've got no air defenses. So the Russian Air Force, the Syrian Air Force together were able to go in there and really turn the tide of battle, much like the Russian Air Force turned the tide of the entire battle in Syria. Remember just a few months ago before the Russians intervened the Syrian army was on its heels, they were pulling back, falling further south toward Damascus. With the Russian air intervention, they were able to stop the Syrian retreat and give the Syrian army a chance, a breathing space to regroup and go further north. Then the Syrian army is now the key force in most of the country and it has pretty much secured Bashar al-Assad's future in Syria for the near term.</s>SESAY: Yes. Indeed. The point being made by many watchers, though, is that as ISIS is squeezed in Syria and in Iraq, that ultimately what that means is they will lash out and step up attacks against the West. That has to be the concern here.</s>FRANCONA: Yes, I think you're exactly right, and I think we're seeing that. As ISIS metastasizes outside of its bases in Syria and Iraq, you know, they're moving to Southeast Asia, South Asia. They're moving into Africa, Libya, and starting to mount operations in Europe. They know that their time in Syria and Iraq might be limited. And you can see what's happening in Iraq as well. American air power really isolating Mosul as we get prepared for the Iraqi army to move north. So if you have the Syria army moving toward Raqqa, the Iraqi army going toward Mosul, these are two centers of gravity for ISIS. You can almost say that the plan is coming together, one can hope.</s>SESAY: One can certainly hope. Colonel Francona, always a pleasure. Thank you.</s>FRANCONA: Good to be with you, Isha.</s>SESAY: Time for a quick break. Donald Trump has no problem weighing in on pretty much anything, but when it comes to war and peace, he admits to being light on details. But now he is saying why. Plus, they're not your typical bedtime stories. A new animated series calls attention to Syria's youngest refugees.