The Dark Side Of The Arab Spring Is Increasingly Apparent
AP
Several Egyptians who helped seize an Algerian oil field last week also took part in the September attack on the
If true, the connection underscores the dangerous new reality in which extremists collaborate across vast distances to attack Western interests.
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "Benghazi didn’t happen in a vacuum. The Arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region."
Nossiter notes that American officials have previously said that some members of Ansar al-Shariah — the group that carried out the Benghazi attack — has connections to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which the Pentagon has linked to the Algeria attack.
The
Dictators in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were overthrown during the Arab Spring, and the weapons that went missing in
Clinton just called it a "Pandora's box of weapons" and said there is "no doubt" that jihadists in Africa have some of these weapons.
Nomadic Tuaregs rebels who fought for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi returned to northern
After the Tuaregs were overthrown by the jihadists — who then enacted a harsh for of sharia law — the Malian government requested international intervention to help retake the area.
France now has 2,300 troops on the ground in Mali, and several countries (including the U.S.) are providing logistical and intelligence support. The offensive looks like it will take a while.
This interactive map by Le Monde shows the jihadist influence in the region (in green):
Le Monde |
The claim about the Benghazi-Algeria link came from one of the three militants captured by Algerian security forces. The Algerian official said that the Egyptians were among the 38 hostages and 29 kidnappers who died in the four-day crisis.
Four Americans died in the Sept. 11 Benghazi attacks and three Americans died in the last week's Algeria hostage crisis.
“This is the result of the Arab Spring,” the Algerian official told the Times, adding that Algeria could expect more attacks. “I hope the Americans are conscious of this.”
SEE ALSO: What's Happening Right Now In Africa Goes Far Beyond National Borders
There's A Reason Why All Of The Reports About Benghazi Are So Confusing
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