“Why are there no Walmarts in Iraq?”/“Because they’re all Targets.”

Walmart and Target are competitor retail stores. A joke was told around the time of the Gulf War, such as this one posted to the newsgroup rec.humor.funny on March 14, 1991:
 
Q: Why are there no WalMarts in Baghdad?
A: Because there is a Target on every corner!
 
The joke was also used during the war in Afghanistan, such as this one posted to the newsgroup alt.vacation.las-vegas on October 29, 2001:
 
Q: Why are there no WalMarts in Afghanistan?
A: Because there is a TARGET on every corner.
 
 
Google Groups: rec.humor.funny
This one bombed in Baghdad.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
3/14/91
Heard this one at the office.  “Why are there no WalMarts in Baghdad?
Because there is a Target on every corner!”
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Life 7.8
Henry CateIII
7/18/94
(...)
Heard this one at the office.  “Why are there no WalMarts in Baghdad?
Because there is a Target on every corner!”
   
Google Groups: pdx.singles
Humor This one bombed in Baghdad
Cathy
1/15/98
Heard this one at the office.  “Why are there no WalMarts in Baghdad?
Because there is a Target on every corner!”
 
Google Groups: mn.general
A little humour perhaps?
Mike Obrien
3/1/98
(...)
Why are there no WalMarts in Baghdad?
Because there is a Target on every corner!
 
Google Groups: alt.vacation.las-vegas
Why are there no WalMarts in Afganistan?
David Faerber
10/29/01
Because there is a TARGET on every corner.
 
Google Groups: ec.toys.cars
Walmarts in Afghanistan?
DANNYSPEED
11/20/01
Why are there no Walmarts in Afghanistan?
 
Scroll Down
 
Beacuse they have so many TARGETS.
 
30 November 2001, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), “Vaudeville returns in the desert; Palm Springs Follies; From opera to Osama jokes, the show delivers humor, song and dance” by Carla Wheeler, pg. AA3:
So do some of [Markowitz]‘s lampoons, such as the missiles he fires during every show at Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. “Do you know why there are no Walmarts in Afghanistan? Because there’s a Target on every corner.”
 
GOogle Books
A Prairie Home Companion
Pretty Good Joke Book
By Brian Becker
Minneapolis, MN: HighBridge
2003
Pg. 264:
Why are there no Walmarts in Afghanistan?
Because they’re all Targets.
 
Twitter
JaVonni Brustow 🎄
‏@VonniMediaMogul
I JUST LEARNED WHY THERE R NO WALMARTS IN AFGHANISTAN! because there is a target on every corner. *ba-dump-tish*
4:16 PM - 2 Apr 2009
 
Twitter
Ben C
‏@MakeSomeMusic
why are there no walmarts in iraq?there are too many targets!
5:10 PM - 15 May 2009
 
Reddit—Jokes
Why are there no Walmarts in Iraq?
submitted October 14, 2014 by nikiverse
Because they’re all Targets.