After the Paris attacks,Belgium’s importance for global terrorism has become even clearer. Its geographical location is just the first of many reasonsDuring a house search 20 years ago, Belgian policemen investigating the Algerian GIA network discovered an Arabic document. Page one had a dedication to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. It was the first jihad manual ever found in Europe. The GIA was only one of many terrorist organisations to put down roots in Belgium. Over the past few decades the country has turned out to be a platform for Action Directe, or the Red Army Faction,Eta, the IRA and several other terrorist groups.
The importance of Belgium for global terrorism became even clearer on 9 September 2001. Two days before the attacks on the Twin Towers, and in northern Afghanistan,commander Ahmed Shah Massoud – the final man standing against the Taliban – was killed by two terrorists who had entered Afghanistan with Belgian passports.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com