(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-28 13:07

Washington -- The United States appealed for calm in Pakistan on Thursday after the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

"We would urge calm, and there is a risk of, after an assassination like this of a political leader, there is a risk of people turning to violence to express their anger," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

"We would urge calm and hope that all the Pakistanis would mourn her death, celebrate her life and unite together in opposition to the types of extremists that are trying to stop the march to democracy," Stanzel said.

Bhutto was killed Thursday evening in a suicide attack during her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30 km south from Islamabad. At least 16 other people were killed and 56 were wounded in the attack.

According to media reports, unrest broke out in several areas of Pakistan and two people were killed in the wake of Bhutto's assassination.