Monday, October 01, 2007
Has the jihad spread to the Maldives?
Stratfor alerts us to a possible first jihadist attack in the Maldives:
The Maldivian government asked the FBI on Oct. 1 to assist in investigating a bombing that occurred two days earlier in the capital, Male, injuring a dozen foreign tourists but no Americans. Meanwhile, 11 suspects, including two Bangladeshis, are in police custody in connection with the attack, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. local time in Sultan Park, one of the capital's main tourist areas. Two Japanese and eight Chinese tourists suffered minor burns in the blast, while two Britons were seriously burned.
Conditions in the Maldives could make the archipelago a prime transit point for transnational jihadists. Not only do its 1,200 small Indian Ocean islands offer many excellent hiding places, its security forces lack training in dealing with a militant threat. Transnational jihadists, however, generally would be reluctant to stage attacks in a place they use as a support and transit base. However, local militants, inspired by contact with the foreign elements, could be responsible for this bombing.
It is interesting that the FBI's "brand equity" is such that a tiny Muslim government on the other side of the world would call it in to assist in the investigation of an attack that involved no Americans. Is that because the world's confidence in the FBI is deserved, because only the United States would respond to such a request, or because we really are the acknowledged leader in the counterinsurgency being waged against transnational jihad?
3 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Oct 01, 07:36:00 PM:
Thank goodness Global Warming and the resulting rise in sea levels will submerge the Maldives. Thus, terrorism in the Maldives can be addressed by driving more. When this is combined with GWB's advice to combat terrorism– shopping– we should have all the bases covered.
By , at
Mon Oct 01, 07:55:00 PM:
Come to think of it, Global Warming would also do away with much of Bangladesh, supposed origin of some of the terrorists.
By 
Dawnfire82, at
Mon Oct 01, 09:46:00 PM:
