Bangladesh Bombings: Responding to al Qaeda's Call

More than 400 bombs exploded in a span of about half an hour across Bangladesh on Aug. 17. The bombs were crude and ineffective, leaving two people dead and more than 140 injured. However, the spread and sheer volume of the bombings indicates that local Islamist militants are responding to al Qaeda's call to establish an Islamic state and expel Westerners from the Muslim world.