Jihad from Spain to Iraq

CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahiri, second in command to Usama bin Laden, said that Al Qaeda now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."

"It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahiri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims until they were driven from power at the turn of the 16th century.

At first blush this is not anything new. Al Qaeda wants to wage war against the world in the name of God. We have known that for some time. Maybe it was more vocalized, but it was not shocking. However, it was the line, "from Spain to Iraq," that caught my attention.

Spain pulled its troops from Iraq following the Madrid train bombing in 2004 and the election of the new Socialist government. In part, you have to think that the new Government pulled its troops to ward off future attacks from Muslim extremists. However, now, Spain has been pushed into the forefront of the terrorists’ targets.

While I do not believe that Spain would have turned the tide on the war against terror, or would have significantly contributed towards capturing Bin Laden, I do find it ironic that Al Qaeda has specifically mentioned Spain as a target. Wonder if Spain will continue to stick its collective heads in the sand when Al Qaeda come bombing again.