Terrorists won an important victory last week in Spain. A series of bombs exploded in trains and rail stations in Madrid, killing some 200 people and injuring nearly 1,500 others. Al-Qaeda has taken credit for the savage attacks, saying Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's support for the war against terror and the invasion of Iraq made innocent Spanish civilians a fair target.
This specious reasoning is one more reminder of this group's utter indifference to human life and the importance of prevailing in the war against terror. Sadly, the Spanish people have encouraged more such attacks by voting Mr. Aznar's party out of office in the elections that followed the blasts. There may have been other reasons for the ballot outcome, but extremists may well believe that they now have power over governments.
At the height of morning rush hour last Thursday, 10 bombs went off within 15 minutes in a coordinated attack, killing hundreds and wounding more than 1,400 others. Fortunately, Spanish police found and defused three other unexploded bombs. Still, the blasts marked the deadliest terrorist attack on a European target since World War II.