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Jeff Emanuel: Indian bombings have "hallmarks of an al Qaeda operation" |
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Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
Eight bombs were detonated today in Jaipur, India, killing at least 60 people and injuring at least 200. A ninth bomb was found and disarmed by Indian authorities.
The blasts occurred within a dozen minutes of each other, according to the Times of India. Indian authorities have said that early evidence points to the terrorist attacks being the work of the Bangladesh-based al Qaeda affiliate Harkat ul Jihad al Islami, or "HuJI-B."
The Long War Journal is reporting that "some officials believe the Pakistani-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group assisted in the attacks," as well.
Further, according to the LWJ:
HuJI-B fighters are recruited from madrassa, or religious schools, in Bangladesh and are trained in al Qaeda and Taliban camps Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Bangladeshi terror group plays a crucial role in training jihadists “from southern Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Brunei” and providing manpower for al Qaeda's affiliates in Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Chechnya.
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal:
HuJI aims to establish Islamic Hukumat [rule] in Bangladesh by waging war and killing progressive intellectuals.
It draws inspiration from [Osama] bin Laden and the erstwhile Taliban regime of Afghanistan. At one point of time, the groups issued a slogan, "Amra Sobai Hobo Taliban, Bangla Hobe Afghanistan" (We will all become Taliban and we will turn Bangladesh into Afghanistan).
Once again, the Global nature of the Global War on Terror has been brought into sharp relief by a terrorist attack on a non-American interest.
Unfortunately, the network-based, truly international world of the modern terrorist is something that many seem to allow themselves to be blinded to for the purpose of maintaining their black-and-white worldview or their political purity.
While we not only allow ourselves to be constrained by borders and diplomatic concerns with regard to prosecution of the so-called GWOT -- not to mention fight battle after battle in the media and in the halls of Congress about whether or not the U.S. is even correct to fight terrorists anywhere at all -- the international terrorist recognizes no such borders or boundaries, moving from region to region to carry out these acts with little regard for borders or policy.
In other words, the terrorists we are ostensibly taking the fight to don't seem to recognize that "the real War on Terror is [only] in Afghanistan -- and until those who dictate (or at leastread
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