Al-Qaeda Building Its Own Country

In Northern Mali, al-Qaeda Building Its Own Country -- Newser

(Newser) – Since the military coup in Mali earlier this year, al-Qaeda's influence in the African nation has increased—to the point that northern Mali, the largest territory held by the terror group, is now basically al-Qaeda's own country. The AP takes an extensive look, describing the elaborate series of tunnels, trenches, and other defenses erected by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies, Ansar Dine and MUJAO. The Islamist extremists are preparing for a war they say will be worse than Afghanistan, and have been stockpiling weapons, supplies, and fuel as well as training forces there.

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Update: Al-Qaeda carves out its own country in Mali -- USA Today/AP

My Comment: Al Qaeda certainly does not look like it is going away soon.

Al Qaeda Continues To Enforce Their Rule In Northern Mali

Inside al-Qaeda's New Home -- Sydney Morning Herald

The hardline Islamists have created a de facto state in Africa to export terror.

WHEN Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was ousted, many feared that al-Qaeda and the forces of extremist Islam could fill the resulting power vacuum. But it has not been in Libya, but deep in the Sahara of northern Mali that al-Qaeda has ultimately carved out its de facto state.

Since March, much of northern Mali has been beyond the control of the Malian government and in the hands of rebels who make no secret of their affiliation with al-Qaeda. Bolstered by an influx of former Gaddafi soldiers, and loaded up with weapons looted from his armouries, the rebels easily overwhelmed the Malian army's thinly spread Saharan garrisons. They now control a territory the size of France and more than 250,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries.

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My Comment: So much for the Washington consensus that Al Qaeda is on the run.

Al Qaeda Groups Are Expanding In North Africa

U.S. Ties Libya Attack to 'Powder Keg' in Mali -- Wall Street Journal

UNITED NATIONS—Mali has become an incubator for terrorist activity that demands urgent international attention, world leaders said Wednesday, as the U.S. drew its most explicit link between al Qaeda havens in such places and the recent attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Mali—and much of the broader North African region known as the Sahel—has turned the country into a "powder keg" for terrorist activity by al Qaeda's Saharan front, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"Now, with a larger safe haven and increased freedom to maneuver, terrorists are seeking to extend their reach and their networks in multiple directions," Mrs. Clinton said at a scheduled meeting between senior government officials and heads of international groups held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. "And they are working with other violent extremists to undermine the democratic transitions under way in North Africa, as we tragically saw in Benghazi."

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My Comment: Secretary of State Clinton is right on this one .... and so much for the argument that Al Qaeda is "in retreat" or that it has been significantly "degraded".

Al Qaeda's New Stronghold In Africa

Graphic showing the areas of Mali which are now controlled by AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb)

The New Al Qaeda Menace -- Bruce Riedel, National Interest

Al Qaeda has a new stronghold in Africa in northern Mali, its largest since the fall of Afghanistan in 2001. It has successfully gained the support of a local jihadist group, Ansar Dine, much as it partnered with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Algeria, Mali’s biggest neighbor, which has a long border with the new jihadist emirate, seems curiously unwilling to take action to address in the problem.

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My Comment: Sober reading on why radical islam and Al Qaeda is NOT DEAD.