Free Republic

May. 20, 2003 Britain: Morocco blasts undermine peace process By DOUGLAS DAVIS British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has suggested that the 12 suicide bombings in Casablanca on Friday which killed 41 people might have been related to Morocco's support for the peace process. "It is not accidental that we have had these terrorist outrages directed at Morocco, one of the most modern and advanced of Arab societies, and also the terrorist outrages in Israel timed to kill Israelis but also to undermine the peace process." Straw's remarks coincided with a visit to London on Tuesday by Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed...

CAIRO — The Al Qaida attack on Friday killed 36 people in simultaneous suicide bombings in Casablanca, but missed its primary target of Israeli tourists and the resident Jews in Morocco. Western diplomatic sources said victims of the 10 suicide bombings on late Friday were Moroccans as well as tourists from France, Italy and Spain. The Al Qaida suicide bombers were believed to have been sent on a mission to target Israeli nationals and Moroccan Jews at a Jewish community center, a hotel frequented by Israeli tourists and a restaurant owned by a French Jew who lived in the kingdom....

CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 18 — Moroccan investigators rounded up and questioned at least 33 suspected Islamic militants Saturday in connection with a series of suicide bombings that killed 41 people, including 13 attackers, in Casablanca, officials said. Authorities are focusing on whether the attackers are linked to a known extremist group that is suspected of ties to the al-Qaida network, a Moroccan official said. The United States said it strongly suspected that al-Qaida had a hand in the blasts, and the White House offered help in the investigation.FIVE GROUPS of attackers — 14 in all — carried out the...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...