Islamist activity in the Sahara in relation to travel security

[priffe]

Originally Posted by Chris Scott

But from what's reported I do get the impression the Alg army is on the case in the south.
Ch

If they would only be 'on the case' south of the border as well.
Good piece in Jeune Afrique Le Mali en simple spectateur | Jeuneafrique.com - le premier site d'information et d'actualit� sur l'Afrique
It is incredible how the beards can set up a base 400 kms from Bamako and when the Mauri/Mali armies are prepared to attack beards were tipped off by Mali. Finally Mauri went alone, waiting a couple of weeks, telling the Malians only hours before the strike.
It would be much more simple to attack the camps from the air, and drones would be even more effective than in Pakistan, don't you think? It would save on time, material, personnel and public opinion would love it - or?
Drones may be on the table AFP: AFRICOM commander praises Mauritania in Al-Qaeda fight
also AQIM on Mauritania/Mali Fighting
AQIM: Western-Sahelian Cooperation Deepening � Sahel Blog

[priffe]

Mauretanian army recruiting pilots and receiving aircraft (Brazilian Tucanos) from France.
Mauritania boosts counter-terror capacities (Magharebia.com)
Mauritanian air force seeks new pilots (Magharebia.com)

Originally Posted by priffe

It would be much more simple to attack the camps from the air, and drones would be even more effective than in Pakistan, don't you think?

before we proceed to nukes, here some interesting reading
http://www.kidal.info/docs/War-on-Terror-JCAS.pdf

[Dave The Hat]

BBC News - Kebbi kidnap: Video 'shows men captured in Nigeria'

[Dave The Hat]

Al Qaeda retreats from west Mali camps -military sources | News by Country | Reuters

didn't see any alkaida while in & around Timbuktu a few days ago

[priffe]

Originally Posted by moro

didn't see any alkaida while in & around Timbuktu a few days ago

Moro you need to drive with your eyes open ;o)

Meanwhile, Aqim may be involved with Boko Haram in Nigeria, who is now resorting to AQ style suicide bombings. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/af....un/index.html

Touareg rebellion leader Ag Bahanga was first reported to have returned from Libya (where he spent two years with Khadaffi army) with 50+ military vehicles.

Then he was reported killed under not very clear circumstances on Friday
Inquiétude sur des stocks d’armes - International - El Watan a car accident?
Ennahar Online - Mali: death of Ibrahim ag Bahanga, the most radical of the Tuareg rebels
AFP: Radical Tuareg rebel chief dies in Mali
http://www.letempsdz.com/content/view/61665/1/
http://af.reuters.com/article/nigerN...nnel=0&sp=true
http://www.pressafrik.com/Au-Mali-pl...ga_a65818.html

Two articles by Salima Tlemcani in El Watan
http://www.elwatan.com//internationa...137980_112.php
"With his most faithful, he was on Friday in his stronghold in Tinassalak when he had this information that, two all-terrain vehicles, on board a large quantity of arms, had crossed the Libyan border. They were heading for the Timbuktu region, known as the stronghold of AQIM and smugglers.
"It was mid-afternoon. Bahanga took his Toyota station and embarked on their research. He would not move the whole group, preferring to verify this information. A few tens of kilometers, it has actually risen in the footsteps of his two vehicles intercepted. The occupants are young people in the region, including the son of a deputy. They would not tell him the weapons were destined. He ordered them to hand them over. We do not know what happened thereafter.

When we noticed that Ibrahim had not returned and his phone did not answer, we went looking for him. We found his vehicle overturned and his left side hit by bullets fired by a Seminov. Have they killed him and simulated an accident? We do not know. We are investigating this matter and we do not want it to be used to carry out retaliatory actions. It is too early to act, "reveals our interlocutor. In any case, the suspicious death of rebel leader comes at a crucial time for the people of northern Mali."
Other sources points to his taking a stand for the libyan opposition leading to him being murdered by Gadaffi loyalists or the Algerian DRS http://www.maliweb.net/category.php?NID=80249
some even says he drove onto one of his own mines http://www.maliweb.net/category.php?NID=80237&intr=
which sounds highly unlikely - wishful thinking from Bamako.
He did apparently give an interview just hours before his death, where he denounced Qadaffi
http://www.elwatan.com/entretien/aqm...137982_121.php
He speaks well here, but doesn't exclude taking up arms yet again.

[priffe]

Let's hope this works out
Mali seeks development to counter al-Qaeda (Magharebia.com)
http://sahelblog.wordpress.com/2011/...rism-and-aqim/

[QUOTE=priffe;347267]Moro you need to drive with your eyes open ;o)

1. I do drive around with my eyes open - don't know the area THAT well even though it's been 9 months now on this last trip
2. as it seems Bahanga (yet another alkajda boogie-woogie-man?) was driving around with his eyes wide shut
3. the venerable third way is your type of couch potatoe alkajda paranoia disseminator

Try downtown Kiruna (Sweden) on a friday night instead

[Richard Washington]

Guys - this is a serious thread on a nicely mannered forum. There are plenty of places to write abuse on the internet. This isn't one of them.

the censor strikes again

uote:
Originally Posted by Richard Washington
Guys - this is a serious thread on a nicely mannered forum. There are plenty of places to write abuse on the internet. This isn't one of them.
heeeey, are you practising censorship
let me try again:

thanks pal, I beg to differ,
this thread is neither serious (grown ups in hot pursuit of their sandpit dreams, inchallah without the local indians who seem to inhabit it)

nor is it nicely mannered (some of the language and concepts put forward on this thread are outright chauvinistic). We can call it Mi-24 parlance, we can't call it nicely mannered.


To end on a lighter note an amusing pic from this very serious thread:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/...908d421958.jpg

bang-bang

[Richard Washington]

By way of explanation - in case one is needed.

The spate of kidnappings in the Sahara which began in 2003 but which escalated in 2008 have pretty much decimated Saharan overland travel. Westerners are specifically targeted. The Hubb is one of the few places where regular updates on the situation in the Sahara are available. The postings on this thread are a somewhat unique blend of on-the-ground information, press reports from sometimes obscure sources and interpretation by those who have a reasonable feel for the Sahara.

In two days time French nationals who were kidnapped in Arlit, Niger, will have been held for a year. Additionally, an Italian women kidnapped in the Algeria desert earlier this year is still in captivity. The thread was started by Ulrich who was one of the first to be kidnapped in 2003 and was held for many months in the Sahara.

I have no doubt that some will not agree with the content of some of the posts. That is normal I suppose. The key thing is to lend useful comment to the material to hand in a way that helps our fellow travellers make informed decisions in the course of their planning. For the most part those posting on the Hubb have been sensible enough to do this which is one of the reasons it is one of the most viewed threads, if not the most viewed thread, on the Hubb.

[Peter Girling]

Hi Richard,

Many thanks for your considered post. Hopefully this thread is now back on track.

Happy trails,

Jojo

[Richard Washington]

There are reports of the Niger Military engaging with AQIM in N Niger.
Niger attacks al-Qaeda-linked cell, 3 killed: News24: Africa: News

Three AQIM reported killed and many youths 'libertated'.
The action is said to have taken place near Adrar Rabouss. I know of Adrar Bous in the NW Tenere (sort of N Air) but I'm not sure if this was the same place. Does anyone know Adrar Rabouss?

There have been some queries on the forum about safety in N Niger and the Air (in relation to camels) to which this might be relevant. Perhaps more to the point, permission to travel in the Air and Tenere may be set back by this ongoing engagement.