Monday, March 15, 2004

Al Qaeda: retreat is an option for some

Following Attacks, Spain’s Governing Party Is Beaten: "26-year-old window frame maker, who identified himself only as David, said he had changed his vote from Popular Party to Socialist because of the bombings and the war in Iraq. 'Maybe the Socialists will get our troops out of Iraq, and Al Qaeda will forget about Spain, so we will be less frightened,' he said. 'A bit of us died in the train.'

The hope of this man is that al Qaeda will leave Spain alone if Spain appears to accede to its demands.

One problem is that one of al Qaeda's demands is for operating bases to attack their enemies. Since Spain is an ideal forward platform, al Qaeda won't be satisfied with retreat from Iraq, they will want an end to investigations and arrests. I doubt the new Spanish government will stop arresting al Qaeda operatives. On the other hand al Qaeda does have a lot to worry about right now, and they may now shift their focus from Spain.

No comments: