A map of the Sahel region showing where Al Qaeda operates (AFP/Graphic)
Posted on 04/05/2012 5:19:09 AM PDT by nuconvert
France warned on Wednesday the seizure of northern Mali by a Tuareg-led rebellion was playing into the hands of local al Qaeda units, urging neighbours including Algeria to do more to tackle the threat.
For long one of the most stable democracies in West Africa, Mali has plunged into turmoil since a widely condemned March 22 coup that emboldened Tuareg rebels in their quest for a northern homeland.
They have been joined by Islamists bent on imposing Islamic sharia law across the whole of the moderate Muslim state, the latest security worry for a region battling organised crime and home-grown militant groups such as Nigeria's Boko Haram.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A map of the Sahel region showing where Al Qaeda operates (AFP/Graphic)
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