With Europe dreading more terror, Belgian authorities moved swiftly to pre-empt what they called a major attack by as little as hours Thursday, killing two suspects in a firefight and arresting a third in a vast anti-terrorism sweep that stretched into the night. ...
And, unlike the Paris terrorists, who attacked the office of a satirical newspaper and a kosher grocery store, the suspects in Belgium were reportedly aiming at hard targets: police installations.
Naturally the jihadis would want to punish the Belgians.
After all, Belgian paratroopers held the anvil in the hammer-and-anvil strike in the Battle of Tora Bora in Afghanistan in 2001.
Recall that their 4th cavalry brigade screened the advance of our 3rd Infantry Division (mechanized) on the drive to Baghdad in 2003.
Never forget the heavy fighting the Belgians carried out in keeping the supply lines open during the spring 2004 Sadrist uprisings in 2004.
Indeed, who can forget the Belgian infantry regiment that dug out jihadis in Ramadi during the surge offensive in Iraq during 2007?
And since then, Belgian drones have schwacked jihadis in Pakistan's border regions, despite the cries of so-called human rights activists.
What? That wasn't Belgium? Belgium has actually spent the War on Terror seemingly more angry at America than even al Qaeda? Belgium has done nothing to fight jihadis?
Huh. That's certainly odd.
Well then, Belgians are going to need to spend a really long time puzzling out the answer to the question, "Why do they hate us?"