Editorial Bear

Spain on edge as Madrid train bomb trial begins
Thursday February 15, 07:29 AM

MADRID (Reuters) - Twenty-nine people go on trial in Spain on Thursday charged over the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people, and triggered the fall of the government and the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq. Full story here.

There's that old saying: "We don't negotiate with terrorists."

That's because terrorism normally has an aim, and if you capitulate, terrorists realise than violence is a legitimate means to achieve their ambitions.

The March 2003 bombings in Spain were an unmitigated disaster as far as the War on Terror went. 191 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded when Muslim terrorists blew up satchel bombs on the rush hour metro system.

As a result, the Spanish people protested, the right-wing government fell and the Spanish army was withdrawn from the Iraq war.

Al Queda learned an important lesson. Violence gets results in Spain.

As is being revealed in the court case in Madrid, the 2003 bombings were a result of Osama Bin Laden's call his followers to strike at Spain, for it's role in the Iraq war. The fact that the bombings led directly to a withdrawal of Spanish troops makes Al Queda's cowardly strike nothing short of a stunning victory.

It's disappointing, but understandable. In the face of such a brutal terrorist attack, I can understand the Spanish people being deeply wary of their role in the Iraq war. But by withdrawing, they folded to Al Queda's bullying and confirmed to the terrorists that their violent tactics worked.

Thanks to Spanish people's reaction, Al Queda now knows that terror attacks in Europe are an effective means to achieve their goals. God help us all.