Looks to me like the Bush administration was right with their assessment of the al quaeda threat. As Pres. Bush said - "It will be monumental struggle of Good vs. Evil - but Good will prevail." Deadly blasts hit Casablanca Minister blames 'international terrorists' Saturday, May 17, 2003 Posted: 4:02 AM EDT (0802 GMT) The five blasts went off almost simultaneously, officials say. CASABLANCA, Morocco (CNN) -- At least 24 people have been killed in five near simultaneous explosions that shook the Moroccan city of Casablanca Friday night, the country's interior minister says. About 60 others were wounded in the blasts, at least three of which were caused by car bombs. Speaking in Morocco's capital, Rabat, Interior Minister Mustapha Sahel blamed "international terrorists" for the attacks and said some of the blasts were committed by suicide bombers. Sahel said as many as 10 of the dead may have been attackers. He said three people had been arrested in connection with the explosions. Among the targets hit were those representing Belgian, Spanish and Jewish interests. "This is part of the terror we're facing all over the world," a government spokesman told CNN. No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts. At least three of the bombs went off near the Belgian consulate, demolishing one side of the building. No one inside was killed, but two Moroccan guards outside the consulate compound died. "There have been many deaths in the streets," Didier Seeuws, a spokesman for the Belgian Foreign Affairs Office, said. Seeuws said it was unclear if the Belgian consulate was the target or a popular restaurant near it. He said there had not been any threats against the consulate. The bombs went off nearly simultaneously at around 9:30 p.m. local time. Police and ambulances rushed to the scene, as special army helicopters hovered overhead. "There were bodies mutilated all over the place," one witness said. "Everybody is very shocked." May 16 is the anniversary of the creation of Morocco's security forces, said Morocco TV journalist Mustapha Kehl, and many police officers and other law enforcement officials were on vacation. Aside from the Belgian consulate blasts were also reported near the Hotel Safir and the Cercle de l'Alliance Israelite. A spokesman for the Conseil des Communautes Israelites du Maroc in Casablanca told CNN a Jewish nightclub was one of the targets of the bombs, but the club was empty at the time. "It was closed for Shabbat," he said. "But the doors, the windows and the ceiling were all destroyed." In Washington, a U.S. official said the White House is monitoring the situation, but would not make an official comment until all details had been examined. Police say they have arrested six people in connection with the explosions. A senior administration official noted that the United States has an embassy in Rabat and a consulate in Casablanca. Asked if there was any indication if Americans or Westerners were targeted, the official said, "It's too soon to say." The bombings come just four days after simultaneous car bomb attacks killed 25 people, plus nine bombers, in Saudi Arabia. Last year, three suspected al Qaeda operatives -- all Saudis -- were arrested in Casablanca on suspicion of plotting to bomb U.S and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison for their roles in the plot earlier this year. Another man and four women who were arrested in the same raid were sentenced to one year in prison on lesser charges. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/05/17/morocco.blasts/index.html
Well, let me just say that it sure as hell wasn't the salvation army. From CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/05/17/otsc.bergen/index.html): MEADE: Is it too early to point the finger at al Qaeda? BERGEN: There is a limited number of groups you can point the finger at, and al Qaeda has a tendency to do coordinated attacks like this one [in Morocco]. We saw it in Saudi Arabia earlier this week on Monday. It would be very surprising if this was not al Qaeda. There was an al Qaeda cell in Morocco last year that was planning to attack U.S. and British Navy ships in the Straits of Gibraltar, and that cell was broken up. It seems to me these attacks in Morocco, directed against a combination of Western and Jewish targets, seem to have the hallmarks of al Qaeda. Al Qaeda attacked a synagogue in Tunisia last year in April, and it would not be surprising if they wanted to attack other Jewish targets. They also attacked an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya and tried to bring down an Israeli charter jet in Kenya with an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] last year. (...) At the end of the day though, when the bomb goes off and kills your mother or your son or your daughter, it doesn't really matter if it's an al Qaeda attack or an attack inspired by al Qaeda. ----------- By the way, I was thinking about going to Casablanca for a weekend, I think I will put that on hold for now.
Can we please stop with Good vs Evil crap.This is not some Hollywood movie,this REAL life! I do think these bombings are horrible,but come on! As for Al Quaeda,it was the Maroccan minister that hinted that.And one of the bombings blew a building where US and Morrocan authorities were meeting on terrorism. ALA
Looks to me like the CIA, British, French, and Russian intelligence services, along with most of the leaders of the world were correct. The illegal invasion of Iraq would just lead to more terrorism.
Regardless of what one thinks of Pres. Bush - what's crap about that? Those who organized these attacks are evil. There are no two ways about this. And, in comparison to these people, everyone else is "good". Sorry, but no matter whether one was for or against the invasion of Iraq - this is one of the most ludicrous statements I have ever read on this board. You make it sound like these bomb attacks are somehow justified because they are a mere reaction to an illegal invasion before, even if you did not mean that. That, with all due respect, is an idiotic statement.
He's not justifying the attacks,I think he's try to give a reason to why they happened. Not at all.What is idiotic is to not think that Al Quaeda would respond to the invasion of Iraq(Islamic country) with a heavy number of bombing aiming against US facilities. By going to war with Iraq,Bush has started a war with every Islamic fanatics through out the world.They have declared the Jyhad against US,and this an occasion for every small extremist group to be recognised by planing attacks.The more damage they cause the more proud they will feal. I would not be surprised if a strike is planed on US soil.But I'm sure the FBI and CIA are paying more than enough attention on the matter. ALA
Where did I say Bush started it? I'm not justifying the attacks either,and I'm not saying Bush started it.What I'm saying though is that declaring war to Iraq just to show your armada,didn't help the situation. ALA
I thought I had quoted that already: Your last statement is one that is worth discussing. glynch's statement before and your first one above were not.
U misundertoud my sentence.While US was already at war with AL Quaeda,the invasion of Iraq has awaken the anger the other Islamic countried have for US. ALA
As if bombs hadn't been exploding before Iraq. What about the two embassies in Africa? The Cole? The WTC thre FIRST time? Bombings are going to occur regardless of what we do. During Clinton's administration we pretty much did little to no retaliation against Al Quaeda and they STILL attacked us (and this is not meant to attack the previous administration. Just to point out that doing nothing doesn't work either!). Plus, what American targets were there in Casiblanca? I thought that they were Jewish targets. How do these bombings reflect anti-American sympathies? You know what IS going to spur more attacks? A peace deal between Israel and Pallestine. There are so many people who have spent their entire lives working towards the destruction of Israel and have seen so many of their friends die for that cause that in no way will they ever allow Israel to exist peacefully in the Middle East. The closer Israel and Pallestine get to a peace deal the more bombings are going to occur because on official peace deal legitimizes Israel. Those terrorists (Hamas, Al Quaeda) are NOT going to let that happen.
To be fair many Israelis officials over the years, and the current ruling party are determined never to have a Palestinian state exist. So refusing one's side to exist goes both ways.
You could not be more wrong. If we can assure Israel that they are secure with their new borders, a CLEAR MAJORITY of Israelis want peace AND a Palestinian State.
SJC that is a great question, if the Bush administration would turn over documents they are withholding to the investigative team we might someday learn concrete answers. Until then we are stuck with good vs. evil rhetoric---- Why do they refuse to let a Republican led committee see the documents?
JH should we continue to simply fence in Israel? That is basically what is happening now, and the population being fenced in is barely a Jewish majority. Can you not see the problems that is going to inevitably create? Integration and tolerance or ethnic cleansing, which sounds like the best choice to you?
I mentioned the link before, but here are some quotes from the link. This is the historical context of not wanting to co-exist with Palestinians. http://www.cactus48.com/statehood.html Ethnic cleansing of the Arab population of Palestine "Joseph Weitz was the director of the Jewish National Land Fund...On December 19, 1940, he wrote: 'It must be clear that there is no room for both peoples in this country...The Zionist enterprise so far...has been fine and good in its own time, and could do with 'land buying' - but this will not bring about the State of Israel; that must come all at once, in the manner of a Salvation (this is the secret of the Messianic idea); and there is no way besides transferring the Arabs from here to the neighboring countries, to transfer them all; except maybe for Bethlehem, Nazareth and Old Jerusalem, we must not leave a single village, not a single tribe'...There were literally hundreds of such statements made by Zionists." Edward Said, "The Question of Palestine." And we all know that the Likud party voted to NEVER recognize a Palestinian state. It didn't vote to not recognize a palestinian state unless Israel was safe from attack... The vote was to NEVER recognize a Palestinian State. Read what Netanyahu says about it. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/likud_-5-13-02.html "It is clear now that we cannot reach any kind of solution at all with the Palestinians," Netanyahu told the delegates. An independent Palestinian government could be possible, he said, "but a state with all the rights of a state, this cannot be, not under Arafat, nor under another leadership, not today nor tomorrow." I guess I could be more wrong since I wasn't wrong to begin with.
The majority of Israelis may want <i>may</i> want peace, just as the majority of Palestineans may want peace (alhtough they their rhetoric may not indicate such). It's not the majority, its the radical minority that will cause the trouble - Jewish or Palestinean. You could say the same about most any radical movement.
