A leading Pakistani newspaper reported today that Khan had a vast array of real estate holdings, including a hotel in Timbuktu, Mali. The News daily reported that Khan also used a military transport aircraft to ship carved wooden furniture to the hotel, which he named after his Dutch wife, Hendrina. Because the plane couldn’t land in Mali, it touched down in Tripoli, Libya, and the furniture was taken the rest of the way by road, the News said. Also along for the ride was Farooq, an expert on centrifuges – a key piece of equipment required to enrich uranium for use in weapons.-----------Scientists investigated over selling nuclear secrets, Ireland On-Line, 01/02/2004 - 15:23:37 http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=93330376&p=9333yx8z
Thanks for the Khan observation.
Al Qaeda’s African strategy has always been part of a broader geopolitical strategy supported by their state sponsors in the Middle East and elsewhere (including Iran), geared towards gaining a land foothold for control of the key naval shipping routes in the region. Reviewing the Nazi strategy in North Africa and the Soviet strategy during the Algerian independence movement is instructive for interpreting the strategic significance of the recent agitations in Egypt, Libya, Mali, etc.