U.S. Sees Hazy Threat From Mali Militants -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — As Islamic militants methodically carved out a base in the desert of northern Mali over the past year, officials in Washington, Paris and African capitals struggling with military plans to drive the Islamists out of the country agreed on one principle: African troops, not European or American soldiers, would fight the battle of Mali.
But the surprise French assault last Friday to blunt the Islamists’ advance upended those plans and set off a cascading series of events, culminating in a raid on Wednesday by militants on a foreign-run gas field in Algeria. That attack threatens to widen the violence in an impoverished region and drag Western governments deeper into combating an incipient insurgency.
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My Comment: When I learned today that the White House has no leads in the Benghazi consulate attack, cannot assist France in Mali because of legal issues !?!?!?!, and still does not know if American hostages in Algeria are alive or dead .... I will have to say that this is not only a major intelligence failure, but a total dereliction of focus from the White House on this critical region.
Update #1: Al-Qaida Resurgent As Terror Spreads Across N. Africa -- IBD Editorial
Update #2: Obama administration warns of Mali violence spillover across western Africa -- The Hill
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