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Major among dead in Pakistan hotel blast

An U.S Air Force major and a U.S. sailor were among the more than 50 people killed in Saturday’s suicide bombing at a luxury hotel popular with foreigners in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Air Force Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriquez, 34, of El Paso, Texas, was killed from injuries sustained in the bombing, the Defense Department confirmed Monday. Rodriquez served with the 86th Construction and Training Squadron based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

“He was in the area assisting with the training of Pakistani forces,” said Ramstein spokesman Aaron Schoenfeld.

Cryptologic Technician 3rd Class Matthew J. O’Bryant, 22, of Duluth, Ga., also was killed at the Marriott Hotel, according to the Defense Department. O’Bryant was assigned to Navy Information Operations Command Maryland at Fort Meade.

Lt. Cmdr. Doug Gabos, of Naval Network Warfare Command, said O’Bryant was on temporary assignment in Pakistan and had been there for about two months.

A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the upscale hotel, killing at least 53 and injuring more than 200. Before the Defense Department identified O’Bryant and Rodriquez, scores of news agencies reported Monday that the two U.S. service members killed were Marines. Some publications reported the bombing was targeting Marines, although a spokesman for the Corps said no Marines were killed in the attack.

In a country accustomed to a rash of suicide bombings in the past several years, the toll of the blast had commentators referring to it as Pakistan’s 9/11.

The bombing of the posh American hotel occurred just days after the U.S. military’s top officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Pakistan following confirmation from U.S. officials that military units in Afghanistan had targeted militants in Pakistan.

The bombing occurred as State Department officials recover from the brazen attack on the embassy in the capital of Yemen last week. At least 18 people, including an American, were killed when terrorists attacked the embassy Sept. 17.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.