JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 5 -- A powerful car bomb exploded in front of the luxury JW Marriott Hotel here during the lunchtime bustle today, killing at least 10 people and injuring 149, according to the Indonesian Red Cross, in what officials said could have been a suicide attack.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but analysts said the attack was probably the work of the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah, which intelligence agencies say cooperates with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization. (via the Washington Post)
White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced the offer of immediate American assistance:
Mr. McClellan refused to comment on any possible role of the al-Qaeda network but said the bombing was "a reminder that we are still fighting a war on terrorism.""We fully support President Megawati and her administration in their efforts to fight terror and we stand fully prepared in assist in any way possible to bring those responsible to justice," he added.
Meanwhile, in Liberia, Bush approved the deployment of six to ten U.S. soldiers to a country where over 1,000 civilians have been killed, people are starving and horror is commonplace.
Maybe the Liberians should stage a terrorist attack on their own country. That seems to be the only way to get the Bush administration's attention.
