dagblog - Comments for "France' s Hollande urges swift action as Mali militant threat grows"

"The al-Qaeda kidnapper

Michael Maiello — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:13:19 +0000

"The al-Qaeda kidnapper nicknamed "Omar One" by his Canadian prisoners liked to rant to them that his goal in life was a glorious death, preferably by detonating a suicide vest inside the United Nations on a day it's discussing equality between the sexes."

Dude has serious issues. I don't think his mommy loved him.

Robert Fowler's case for

artappraiser — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:45:37 +0000

In reply to France' s Hollande urges swift action as Mali militant threat grows

Robert Fowler's case for taking on al-Qaeda in Mali
The UN and several African states are planning to take military action in the region
By Rick MacInnes-Rae, CBC News, Oct 23, 2012

[....] as the UN and a number of African states make plans to take military action against these militants in northern Mali, there's a Canadian who knows more than he ever wanted to about them: Robert Fowler, who spent three months as their captive in 2008.

One-hundred-and-thirty days he and colleague Louis Guay were held by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which was until recently an unremarkable splinter group loosely associated with Osama bin Laden's organization and specializing in kidnappings around West Africa.

The al-Qaeda kidnapper nicknamed "Omar One" by his Canadian prisoners liked to rant to them that his goal in life was a glorious death, preferably by detonating a suicide vest inside the United Nations on a day it's discussing equality between the sexes.

Fowler, the former Canadian Ambassador to the UN, says he hopes Omar never gets that grisly opportunity. But on the wider point, he says with sober flourish, "helping Omar get to paradise would be a fine thing." The words of a man clearly untroubled by Stockholm Syndrome.

Now that Mali is in the crosshairs, I rang Fowler to ask about his thoughts on the virtues of going after al-Qaeda there.[....]

Foreign jihadists pour into

artappraiser — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 07:17:25 +0000

In reply to France' s Hollande urges swift action as Mali militant threat grows

Foreign jihadists pour into northern Mali
Agence France Presse, October 22, 2012
BAMAKO: Hundreds of jihadist fighters poured into Mali over the weekend to support the Islamists who have controlled the north for seven months, ahead of a threatened regional intervention to seize back power.

Residents of the cities of Timbuktu and Gao, Malian security officials and Islamist commanders all confirmed on Sunday that there had been a huge influx of foreign fighters over the past two days. It comes as the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a regional bloc of 15 countries including Mali, prepares for military action in the north.

"In the Timbuktu region and around Gao, hundreds of jihadists, mostly Sudanese and Sahrawis, have arrived as reinforcements to face an offensive by Malian forces and their allies,” a Malian security official said on condition of anonymity.

One resident of Timbuktu said “more than 150 Sudanese Islamists arrived in 48 hours” “They are armed and explained that they had come to help their Muslim brothers against the infidels,” he said.

A source close to a local aid group also said that many Sudanese had arrived but added there were also fighters from other countries [...]