Why? Who? Whose turn next? These questions come to mind after the truck bomb suicide explosion outside the camp headquarters of the Italian military police in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq on Wednesday, killing 17 Italian personnel and at least eight Iraqis. Until November 12, 2002, the anger of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda and the International Islamic Front (IIF) floated by him in 1998 was mainly directed against the United States and Israel. In a message, reportedly of bin Laden, broadcast by Aljazeera television on that November day, this list was expanded by him to include the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Australia. He accused them of cooperating with the US in its “war against terrorism”. The UK was included because of its closeness to the US. Germany and Canada were included because of their important role in the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul. In their sermons in the madrassas (religious schools) of Pakistan, the pro-bin Laden and pro-Taliban mullahs justified the inclusion of Australia because of its role in East Timor. They projected the separation of East Timor from Indonesia and the Muslim ummah and its subsequent independence as the outcome of a Christian missionary conspiracy spearheaded by Australia. They were also critical of Australia’s whole-hearted support to the US in the “war against terrorism”. Full Story
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