Inside al-Qaeda's New Home -- Sydney Morning Herald
The hardline Islamists have created a de facto state in Africa to export terror.
WHEN Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was ousted, many feared that al-Qaeda and the forces of extremist Islam could fill the resulting power vacuum. But it has not been in Libya, but deep in the Sahara of northern Mali that al-Qaeda has ultimately carved out its de facto state.
Since March, much of northern Mali has been beyond the control of the Malian government and in the hands of rebels who make no secret of their affiliation with al-Qaeda. Bolstered by an influx of former Gaddafi soldiers, and loaded up with weapons looted from his armouries, the rebels easily overwhelmed the Malian army's thinly spread Saharan garrisons. They now control a territory the size of France and more than 250,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries.
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My Comment: So much for the Washington consensus that Al Qaeda is on the run.