How the Taliban and Vladimir Putin Responded to the Boston Bombings

Monday's tragedy at the Boston Massacre has been felt the world over. Support and condolences have poured in from America's friends and allies abroad. On Monday, I offered my response in an open memo on PolicyMic. Twitter is on fire with support for Boston, with #BostonMarathon trending worldwide in Monday's aftermath.

Here are the statements and reactions of various world leaders and international organizations.

UN Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon: "I condemn this senseless violence, which is all the more appalling for taking place at an event renowned for bringing people together from around the world in a spirit of sportsmanship and harmony. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to wish those wounded a speedy recovery. As more details emerge I am sure we will return to this with a more formal statement. But for now I just wanted to say that my thoughts are with everyone in Boston."

NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh-Rasmussen: "I am deeply shocked by the explosions at the Boston marathon. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed, and I wish a full recovery to those who were injured. My thoughts are with the people of Boston and all of the United States."

British Prime Minister, David Cameron: "The scenes from Boston are shocking and horrific — my thoughts are with all those who have been affected."

Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper: "I was shocked to learn of the explosions that occurred today during the running of the Boston Marathon. It is truly a sad day when an event as inspiring as the Boston Marathon is clouded by such senseless violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured or affected by this horrible incident. We stand with our American neighbours in this difficult time."

Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard: "Australians have awoken this morning to shocking and tragic scenes at the Boston Marathon. Our condolences go to the families of those killed and our thoughts are with those who have been injured. It will be some time before we know the full extent of what has occurred but these explosions have cast a long shadow over one of the world's great sporting events."

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, via a Kremlin statement: "Vladimir Putin strongly condemned this barbaric crime and expressed his belief that the fight against terrorism requires the coordination of the global community's efforts. The president of Russia stressed that the Russian Federation will be ready, if necessary, to assist in the U.S. authorities' investigation."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: A day of joy became a day of terror, I send my condolences to President Barack Obama, the American people and the bereaved families. Today, like everyday, Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with the American people.

President Barack Obama, on the day of the marathon: "The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight," he said. "And Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss."

President Barack Obama, this afternoon: "We continue to mobilize and deploy all appropriate law enforcement resources to protect our citizens, and to investigate and to respond to this attack. Obviously our first thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families, and the city of Boston. We know that two explosions gravely wounded dozens of Americans, and took the lives of others, including a 8-year-old boy. This was a heinous and cowardly act. And given what we now know about what took place, the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism. Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror. What we don't yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why; whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual."

Even comedian Patton Oswald has garnered media attention for his response. On Facebook he posted an eloquent response, which has been shared nearly 250,000 times. Here is an excerpt: "I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, 'Well, I've had it with humanity.' But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths. But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out."

As far as who is responsible for these cowardly attacks, no person(s) or group have yet to come forward. However, one of America's typical enemies have issued an official statement regarding the bombing, but they have denied any involvement.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, via spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan: "We believe in attacking U.S. and its allies but we are not involved in this attack. We have no connection to this bombing but we will continue to target them wherever possible."

Nolan Kraszkiewicz also published this article on his blog — TheNolanK.com.