The Islamic State Wants To Expand In Africa

Nicholas Jubber, Daily Beast: ISIS Sets Sights on Rest of Africa

Obama called the intervention in Libya a ‘shit show,’ but unless the West moves quickly, radical jihadists are poised to make the Libyan debacle look like a mere preamble.

Officially, the so-called Islamic State (widely known as ISIS) is on the run: its manpower reduced in the Middle East, its troops pushed out of their Libyan strongholds. For President Obama, who conceded that bungling the aftermath of the 2011 Libyan intervention was the “worst mistake” of his presidency, the gains made in North Africa represent an eleventh hour redemption. Headlines are declaring that ISIS is in retreat. But the question to ask is: retreat to where?

In an essay translated by the Quilliam Foundation, an ISIS supporter identifies Libya as a “strategic gateway” from which “pandemonium could be wrought in the southern Europe.” Even more than Syria, the fate of Libya is likely to color the next president’s foreign policy. While Syria has been a whirlpool, sucking in the most toxic elements in the region, Libya is a sandstorm, spreading its mayhem outward. According to the ISIS supporter’s essay, Libya is “the key to Egypt, the key to Tunisia, Sudan, Mali, Algeria and Niger too.”

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WNU editor: Corruption, tribalism, alienation, and poverty are endemic in this part of the world .... I will not be surprised if the Islamic State's message will resonate with many people.