Boldness of Qaeda Affiliate in Africa Raises Fears in West

[undeterred]

Source: The New York Times

By ERIC SCHMITT and SOUAD MEKHENNET
Published: July 9, 2009

WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s affiliate in North Africa has carried out a string of slayings, bombings and other lethal attacks against Westerners and African security forces in recent weeks that have raised fears the terrorist group may be turning a more deadly corner.

American and European security counterterrorism officials say that the attacks may signal the return of foreign fighters from the battlefields of Iraq, where they honed their bomb-making skills. The attacks also reflect Al Qaeda’s growing tentacles in the northern tier of Africa, outside the group’s main sanctuary in Pakistan’s tribal areas, the officials say.

In just the past month, the group has claimed credit for killing a kidnapped British hostage in Mali, killing an American aid worker in Mauritania, murdering a senior Malian army officer in his home and ambushing a convoy of nearly two dozen Algerian paramilitary forces. Last weekend, fighters from the Algeria-based affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, ambushed a Malian army patrol in Mali’s northern desert, killing nearly a dozen soldiers and capturing several others, American military officials said. Several militants were also killed.

Assessing the militant threat in North Africa is complicated. Some security and counterterrorism officials say the group is more a criminal gang — ransoming kidnapped Westerners for millions of dollars to finance their operations — than ideologically committed terrorists. Other terrorism officials point to the attacks as evidence of the group’s intent to expand its longtime antigovernment insurgency in Algeria to other North African countries and possibly Europe, where the group has financial and logistical supporters.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/world/africa/10terror.html?hp

[Captain Hilts]

1. It damned well should. nt

[SkyDaddy7]

2. If this does move into Europe...

Who knows how they will respond...There is a huge Muslim population in Europe and many are not exactly happy. This could get scary?

[totodeinhere]

3. I remember during the lead up to the Iraq invasion that the NYT was screaming about so-called...

"terrorist threats" from Iraq. So when I see something like this I approach it with caution. There are many forces that benefit from fears over terrorism. Myself, I am more fearful over the economy and health care and not so much terrorism, and that is where our attention should focus IMO.

[Birthmark]

4. I'm gonna go with "bullshit" as my response.

That bet has paid off well for me in the last seven or eight years.

(To be clear, the "bullshit" is directed at the story, not the poster.)

[bemildred]

5. You gotta admit this sudden concern about violence in Africa is heartening.

Now if we could get worked up about the millions dead in the Congo War ... But I guess nobody expects that to result in unconventional hijackings in "The West".

[Birthmark]

6. If there's no oil involved or money to be made...

...our interest level drops to the imperceptible.