Category Archives: al Qaeda

From the Guardian, on the Islamist rebels attack on Gao: Black-robed Islamic extremists armed with AK-47 automatic rifles invaded Gao in wooden boats on Sunday to launch a surprise attack on the most populous city in northern Mali, two weeks … Continue reading →

An excellent piece in the Guardian on the rising Salafist threat in Africa: Late last year, largely unnoticed in the west, Tunisia’s president, Moncef Marzouki, gave an interview to Chatham House’s The World Today. Commenting on a recent attack by … Continue reading →

From today’s NYT: WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is debating how much more aid it can give the French military forces who are battling Islamic militants in Mali, weighing the benefit of striking a major blow to Qaeda-linked fighters in … Continue reading →

From the AP: U.S. Africa Command says American planes have begun transporting French troops and equipment in support of the country’s mission in Mali And so it begins.

Today’s NYT, on the situation in Mali: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, traveling in Spain, said that France faced a difficult task in taking on the extremists and that the Pentagon remained in talks with the French about what sort … Continue reading →

JCS Chairman Martin Dempsey, as quoted in Stars & Stripes in December 2012: Meanwhile, when it comes to operating in hot spots in Africa such as Mali, which in the past year has become a haven for terrorist groups, the … Continue reading →

From today’s Guardian piece on Britain’s role in facilitating rendition by the USG: The book reveals that [MI6 counterterrorism chief Mark] Allen (who was later to develop a cosy relationship with Gaddafi’s intelligence chiefs) expressed concern after the post-9/11 meeting … Continue reading →

[View the story “McRaven, Free Speech & Secrecy ” on Storify]

From Peter Bergen’s The Osama bin Laden I Know: “The Saudi government’s decision to allow the introduction of some 500,000 U.S. troops into Saudi Arabia in the summer of 1990 was a defining moment for bin Laden….In the early 1990’s … Continue reading →