The war on terror is being fought in many areas, and much of it is not being widely reported. Iran, for example, has become a secret ally of al Qaeda and Shia Islamic radicals in Iraq. Normally, Iran sees al Qaeda as an enemy, because al Qaeda represents Sunni Arab radicals who consider Shias, particularly Iranian Shias, as heretics and potential targets for forcible conversion to the more correct Sunni form of Islam. Reports from American troops and Iranian moderates indicate that Islamic conservatives in Iran (who control the military, police and courts) have been supplying al Qaeda, and Shia radical, operations in Iraq with money, weapons, advisors and access to Iranian training and rest camps. Iran, of course, has long been identified as a supporter of terrorism against the United States. With American troops next door, Iranian terrorist organizations have an opportunity to do something about it without getting caught. The Iranian government, of course, denies everything. But Iran is being told, quietly for now, that continued support for Islamic radicalism in Iraq, terrorism in Iraq, or anywhere, will lead to retaliation. The Iranian radicals really believe they are on a mission from God, so these warnings may not have any effect. This is why you keep hearing talk of the U.S. attacking Iran. 

Meanwhile, in Yemen, the army has been fighting a thousand or so tribal fighters loyal to Islamic radical cleric Hussein al Houthi. The skirmishing and raids, going on since June, has left over 600 people dead. About a hundred Yemeni troops have died, the rest are Islamic radicals and civilians caught in the crossfire. The problem with this is that al Houthi and his followers are still on the loose, despite the best efforts of thousands of Yemeni troops, including some trained by American counter-terrorism experts. It?s thought that some U.S. troops are involved, at least to provide intelligence support (UAVs and electronic eavesdropping.) To make things even more interesting, al Houthi is a Shia, as are about 30 percent of Yemenis. While the army believes they have al Houthi cornered, three attempts to negotiate with him have been refused.

Moving further to the west, we have Italy, which is currently being accused by other European nations as being a gateway for illegal immigration. Some 300,000 illegal immigrants are believed to enter Italy each year. Much of this is due to geography, not Italy?s tolerating illegal migration. Italy is convenient for illegal migrants coming from Albania, North Africa and Turkey. In fact, Turkish drug smuggling gangs are switching to the more lucrative job of moving illegal migrants (for $4,000-$30,000 a head, depending on mode of transportation and quality of fake documents.) Because many of the smugglers, and those smuggled, are Moslems, there is fear that this illegal migration has become an efficient way for al Qaeda to get people into Europe. Something is being done about this aspect of the smuggling, but no one is saying exactly what. 

Going still further west, we find Morocco has about a thousand terrorist suspects in jail, and another two thousand under surveillance. This because Morocco has been a major source of al Qaeda recruits. Last year, suicide bombing attacks in Morocco left 45 dead, and twelve Moroccans were arrested for involvement in the Spanish railroad bombings earlier this year. The Moroccans are not about to get al Qaeda gain any traction in the country, and many al Qaeda members, or wannabes, are apparently fleeing Morocco.

On the other side of the world, Bangladesh is seeing an increase in Islamic radicals trying to terrorize the more moderate politicians who still dominate the country. This is being done relatively quietly, as two Islamic conservative political parties are part of the coalition running the country. The Islamic conservatives don?t have the votes to control the country all by themselves, but they appear to have agreed to use terror to expand their power. Islamic conservatives are not nearly as powerful in Bangladesh (which, until the early 1970s, was ?East Pakistan?), but they are definitely in Bangladesh, they are recruiting, and they are terrorizing, and killing, those that oppose them. 

Elsewhere in the region, al Qaeda is doing poorly. Several attempts to kill the president of Pakistan earlier this year brought forth a mighty effort by the ruling families of Pakistan to defend themselves. Unleashing the army, police and intelligence agencies (despite the many fundamentalists who are in uniform), caused many key al Qaeda figure to get arrested or killed. But this war isn?t over yet. The appeal of Islamic radicalism in Pakistan is partly a reaction to the corruption and mismanagement of the ruling families. Most Islamic radicals want a job, as well as more religion, in their lives. Moreover, the Pakistani government has stayed away from the Taliban leaders (who are popular in