Attack Al-Qaida on all fronts

Kansas City Star: The despicable attacks on two synagogues in Turkey on Saturday showed again how vulnerable civilized society still is to terrorists. Turkey as well as the United States and its allies must not let up in pursuing these killers.
A group linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaida terrorist network is taking responsibility for the truck bombings that killed 24 people, including six Jewish worshippers. Istanbul's 25,000-member Jewish community represents a tiny minority in Turkey, where more than 99 percent of the population follows Islam.
Terrorists who claimed responsibility for the attacks said they thought Israeli intelligence agents were inside the synagogues. Officials still are investigating the claims of responsibility, though the bombings had all the earmarks of Al-Qaida.
When the war on terrorism began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, officials said Al-Qaida had cells in dozens of countries. That's still true. Indeed, Al-Qaida recently pulled off murderous attacks in Saudi Arabia.
Evidence mounting
Intelligence officials in various countries have compiled stacks of evidence showing that Al-Qaida and the fanatic Islamic leaders who rule Iran have formed a partnership. Intelligence experts think the May bombings in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh were planned in Iran by protected Al-Qaida leaders.
In many ways, Turkey, a member of NATO, is the kind of Islamic country the West should be encouraging. It has a secular government that is taking seriously the need for political, social and economic reforms so it can become a member of the European Union. It will be a serious setback if these terrorist attacks succeed in driving Turkey away from its current friendly relations with both Israel and the West.