|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://jcpa.org/africa-is-a-jihadist-playground-for-the-resurgent-islamic-state-and-al-qaeda/
Africa Is a Jihadist Playground for the Resurgent Islamic State and al-Qaeda
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah - In February 2021, Bernard Emie, head of France's Directorate-General for External Security, warned, "From Mali, [Islamist] terrorists have worked on attacks against us, against our partners, and they are thinking about attacks in the region and Europe....To spread southwards, the terrorists are already financing men who are entering the Ivory Coast or Benin on the borders of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad." Last year, Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told Congress, "Both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State networks are working together to exploit under-governed regions, disenfranchised populations and porous borders, and threaten the security and stability of our African partners." The U.S. and France's military presence, together with local allies, has succeeded in limiting the damage perpetrated by the Jihadist organizations but has failed to eradicate the phenomenon. The writer, a Middle East analyst at the Jerusalem Center, was former Deputy Head for Assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence.