Mass murder

Radical Muslims affiliated with al-Qaida have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings that left 76 dead in Uganda on Sunday. The group known as al-Shabab said it was behind the murders. It apparently seeks to intimidate the Uganda government into withdrawing its African peace-keeping troops from Somalia, where Islamic terrorists have fostered anarchy and unrest in their efforts to establish a Taliban-like government.

"We warned Uganda not to deploy troops to Somalia, they ignored us," said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, al-Shabab's spokesman. "The explosions in Kampala were only a minor message to them. ... We will target them everywhere if Uganda does not withdraw from our land."

So these criminals are willing to kill indiscriminately in order to advance their repressive political goals.

Americans tend to view this Islamic jihadist movement as a religious struggle against the United States or Western culture. In fact, it is much more than that. These cowardly thugs are willing -- even eager -- to kill anybody, even fellow Muslims, under the guise of following their religion.

One American was killed in the Sunday blast. The rest were predominately African -- and Muslim. In previous attacks on African targets by Islamic radicals, Muslim civilians bore the brunt of the carnage.

Those who embrace these tactics -- bypassing military or government targets in order to take out as many innocent men, women and children as possible -- are psychotic mass murderers who deserve to be condemned as such.