Identifying the enemy in the Sahel
For fear of too-closely echoing Aaron and quickly making this blog a forum only for angry ranting and ad hominem attacks against noted and widely-published, respected figures, I want to make clear that...
View ArticleNegotiate with bin Laden?
Last Thursday al-Jazeera broadcast a tape attributed to AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, demanding the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan as a condition for the release of seven French,...
View ArticleGuest Post from Xavier Rauscher: How the African Union Defines Terrorism
As Africa grows more concerned with terrorist attacks, as the conflict in Somalia spills over in the East and Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) grows more and more bold and active in the West, the...
View ArticleQuick notes on a kidnapping
My apologies for the long blog absence, work and a clear inability to write after 8 pm have been intervening. However, this will change, oh ye faithful al-Wasat readers who for some reason keep...
View ArticleReview of Manuel R. Torres Soriano’s “The Road to Media Jihad- The Propaganda...
The most recent issue of Terrorism and Political Violence was released in January. As usual, it had an excellent collection of articles. In particular interest to me was the one written by Manuel R....
View ArticleAQIM Statement Hoax?
Last night, Tout sur l’Algérie published an article titled “Aqmi affirme que ses éléments ont été tués dans ce raid” (“AQIM confirms that its members were killed in raid”). The article stated that they...
View ArticleAQIM and Libya’s missing weapons
It is a frightening thought; an al-Qaeda franchise in the heart of Africa which has sworn to target European and American interests in the region, not to mention local governments, equipped with a...
View ArticleThe weapons flee Libya
Francophone African news coverage has been rather preoccupied with the news that Nigerien Presidential Guard forces this week intercepted a convoy of three 4X4 trucks in the north of...
View ArticleIs al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghrib Gaining Influence in Libya?
One of the biggest questions and worries the past year in Western counterterrorism circles has been about how the MENA uprisings would affect al-Qa’ida. Many pointed to the uprisings as evidence that...
View ArticleQuick Thoughts on the Failed Hostage Rescue in Nigeria
This post originally appeared at the Sahel Blog. Last May, two Europeans were kidnapped in Kebbi State in Northwestern Nigeria. News of the victims after their disappearance was always scanty – a video...
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