Al Qaeda and Africa
This is badly done but a statement none the less. Africa is where Al Qaeda is at. It’s where Al Qaeda was always at. Yeah, there is a lot of talk about Arabs and Afghanistan but in all truth, Al Qaeda is inspired by Egyptians, fomented by a Yemeni in Sudan (where Al Qaeda really started rolling) and is kept running by Libyans, Egyptians, Algerians and Somalis. Mogadishu, Somalia is where America got its first modern black eye. Al Qaeda got another hit at the USA with embassy bombings in Kenya. The sea between Yemen and Somalia is a pirate haven. Is it a shock that another terrorist (from Africa) tried to blow up an airplane? No. Airplanes are Al Qaeda’s MO, with roots in the Libyan sponsored Lockerbie bombing. With Arabs and Easterners focused on national issues, al Qaeda going back to its origins by relying on Somalis to attack Dutch authors and Nigerians to set their selves on fire in airplanes.
I’m pushing a really racist boundary today, but I want to be clear that I am not talking about Aethiopia or, for the less educated, Sub Saharan Africa. I am talking about Northern Africa. It just seems that when you mix Muslims and the desert you get a really fucked up brand of violence that has nothing to do with the Muslims in the greener parts of the Turk/Arab/Persian/Asian world. The Nexus of Al Qaeda starts in Saudi Arabia, Stretches south to Somalia and then West to Algeria. It is not the countries south of the former Soviet empire but the countries south of Europe that breeds al Qaeda.
Lebanon was a really progressive country, Iraq was almost secular, Iran is pretty moderate, Afghanistan never had “Taliban” until the 90s, even Pakistan was pretty moderate by today’s standards. But in the sands of Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan Libya, Algeria and Saudi Arabia trouble was just stirring up and was happily exported to Afghanistan to die under Soviet guns. A sizable amount did not die and hardened in battle returned home to start struggles/troubles of their own.
Sudan murders its own and is at war with Chad, Somalia is at war with itself far beyond failed in statehood. Libya after sponsoring terrorism for many years is finally on its long way back to being recognized, buying its way back into international recognition and imprisoning thousands of seasoned al Qaeda fighters. Algeria struggles daily with its own brand of Al Qaeda and the AQIM (Al Qaeda in Islamic Magreb) grows stronger forging ties with Narco terrorists in South America even “peaceful” Egypt must turn a massive amount of its citizens into military and paramilitary units just in hope of stopping the tide of terrorists coming from all sides. The Jews to the north are perhaps Egypt’s firmest allies.
Africa (not the Aethiopian part of Africa) is not the cradle of civilization but the snake in the cradle of civilization. Al Qaeda operatives believe they are caught up in a cosmic battle or carrying out a great clash of civilizations but in truth just Al Qaeda is like the Sahara desert or Kalahari, it can only destroys civilization.
