The War Begins?
al Qaeda attacks Israelis for the first (known) time.
Three suicide bombers blew themselves up in an Israel-owned hotel in Kenya; a "light plane" simultaneously dropped three "bombs" on the site; and at the same time, two missiles were fired at an Israeli airliner as it left Mombasa airport.
Kenya officials say they believe it was an al Qaeda operation. Say what you want about Israel: it's no "paper tiger." Whoever is responsible is messing with the wrong guys. And if a hint of Iraqi involvement surfaces (not at all out of the question) they won't wait for UN authorization to respond.
UPDATE: a "previously unknown group" calling itself the Army of Palestine has, via fax, claimed responsibility. (The Kenyan ambassador's statement that there was "no doubt" that the attacks were perpetrated by al Qaeda was issued before these faxes arrived.) At this point, who knows?
Bill Quick says: "This smells of a joint Palestinian-Iraqi operation to me, with Iraq supplying tools, planning, and money, and the Palis supplying the suicidally lunatic manpower." Maybe...
He's definitely right about one thing though: "folks who think this can't happen here in the United States are suffering from a potentially fatal failure of imagination."
Posted by Dr. Frank at November 28, 2002 07:56 AM | TrackBack