Terrorists today struck at Australia's embassy in Jakarta, exploding a powerful car bomb which killed up to 11 people and wounded more than 160.
Australian embassy staff escaped relatively unscathed in the suspected suicide attack, which ripped apart the heavily-fortified gates of the mission, shattered thousands of windows and left a deep crater in the road outside.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports today that the Australian Embassy has been bombed. It's the second terrorist attacked aimed at Australians in Indonesia, coming after the October 12 2002 attack on Australian tourists in Bali.
It's unclear what effect this example of 'the increased threat of terrorism' will have on the upcoming Australian elections on October 9th.
The culprits have not been confirmed, but it appears the attack is linked to Jemaah Islamiah, an extremist Islamic group.
Suspicions fell immediately on Malaysian Azahari Husin, one of Asia's most wanted men and a member of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah terror group, who has been linked to numerous bombings including the Bali attack that killed 202 people in 2002.
C'mon, where are the right-wingers? I want some people to make dubious claims that this is yet another example of how important it is that the 'coalition of the willing' continue 'fighting terrorism' in Iraq.
Anton said:
C'mon, where are the right-wingers? I want some people to make dubious claims that this is yet another example of how important it is that the 'coalition of the willing' continue 'fighting terrorism' in Iraq.
I'll bite. Were Australia to reverse its policy of an armed presense in Iraq after this attack, then what does that say to the Terrorists? I put forth that an action like that would only encourage them to do more outlandish acts of terror against Western targets, testing the resolve of the countries.
Should legitimate governments bow to the whims and demands of those whose means of bargaining are suicide bombings, beheadings, and kidnapping? Particularly given an assumption that the terrorists committing these acts can at best be limited to the outside fringe minority of a population. I assume this because if the majority of any population of a country truly felt this way, the world were living in now would look like a sunny day at the beach in comparison. Yes the terrorists grab headlines, but they are by no means a majority despite whatever other rightwingers on here would say.
Anton
Australia
September 2003
SEP 09, 2004 11:36 AM