Americans became targets, and in 1983 the US Marines barracks in Beirut were bombed, leaving 241 dead. American troops soon pulled out. The bombers likely got what they wanted. With the collapse of the Soviet Union at the turn of the decade, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and the subsequent Arab-Israeli peace process, many Middle East groups that had carried out terrorist attacks either disappeared or lay low. But as the attacks against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania attest, the King David lesson has not been forgotten.
Fingers point in many directions.
High on the list of backers is multimillionaire Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, who lives in Afghanistan and earlier this year vowed to wage a Holy War against American military and civilian targets. Copyright 1998 Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved.