Why Did A 10 Year U.S. Counterinsurgency Program Fail In Mali

Mali Insurgency Followed 10 Years Of U.S. Counterterrorism Programs -- Walter Pincus, Washington Post

What went wrong with the counterterrorism efforts the State and Defense departments ran in Mali for 10 years?

French troops are moving against Islamist fighters who’ve traveled south from northern Mali. The White House or Congress, or both, should examine why the U.S. programs targeting the groups failed.

It’s worth understanding, since the United States is trying similar efforts in other nations.

In November 2002, the State Department announced that officials from its Office of Counterterrorism had visited Mali and other West African countries to brief governments on the Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), which was “designed to protect borders . . . combat terrorism, and enhance regional cooperation and stability.”

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My Comment: Will anyone be held accountable for this fiasco .... probably not. Did intelligence fail in assessing the situation in Mali .... definitely. Will there be changes in U.S. policy and strategy in other countries that use the same Mali training template that has so obviously failed .... I hope so. Will the White House reverse their position from a few months ago during the campaign when they stated that Al Qaeda "was on the run" and/or that Al Qaeda is “decimated,” “on the path to defeat” .... LOL .... yeah right .... they are going to be veerrryyy quiet on this one.