The Casablanca bombings are a horrible reminder that, post-9/11, there's a lot more work to do on the counterterrorism front. While the US government continues to pour effort into Iraq, here's what's happening in the rest of the world:
- Algeria: Al Qaeda-connected terrorists claim 33 deaths in car bombings.
- Morocco: The US consulate closes after this weekend's suicide bombings.
- Paraguay: Concerns remain that Al Qaeda is laundering money through Latin America.
- Colombia: Debate continues over whether Al Qaeda is moving people through Colombia, or might in the future.
- Venezuela: Anyone else curious about Margarita Island, another location that Al Qaeda was supposedly using to move money and people?
- Russia: Earlier this year, several incidents showed that the violent Chechnyan and Ingush separatist campaign is not yet over.
- Malaysia: Israeli officials are concerned that Hezbollah appears to be collecting intelligence on synagogues in East Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand.
- The Philippines: Aby Sayyaf may be whittled down, but it is still alive and kicking, as shown by last year's foiled bomb plot.
- India: Lashkar-e-Toiba, whose goal is an Islamist republic across South Asia, Russia, and China, remains at large after last year's string of attacks. (Plus, they've called for the assassination of the Pope.)
- Australia: Last month, a court convicted a French national of planning terrorist attacks against Australian targets.
On the "Get more alarmed!" side, I'll say that I've hardly done a thorough survey of world terrorist threats. On the "Calm down, people!" side, not all these threats are targeted at Americans, or even directly at American interests. Many seem trifling, compared to the carnage that happens every day in Iraq.
Unfortunately, it was this species of seemingly trifling threat that coalesced into the 9/11 attacks. While the US government, and Americans in general, are obsessed with Iraq, other potential sources of danger get almost no attention at all.
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