An Insight into Jihadist Strategy in the Sahel

One key document records a surprisingly bureaucratic gathering of the thirty-third meeting of AQIM's leadership. The acknowledged leader of AQIM, referred to here as 'The Prince' is Abu Musab Abdul Wadoud, a 42 year old Algerian who has revitalised AQIM in the wake of the chaos caused by the Libyan crisis in 2011. In this meeting Wadoud made it clear that while praising Ahmed Jebri of Ansar Dine for its successes in northern Mali, it was nevertheless the intention of AQIM to take control of anything Ansar Dine achieved in Mali.

The document records a meeting of AQIM in March 2012 in the middle of the Tuareg rebellion and before the coup which  overthrew president Amadou Touamani Touare and the collapse of the Malian army.The planned take over of the Tuareg cause follows a pattern initiated by Al Qaeda under Ousama Bin Ladin, Rusi says. There were reports of Jihadis and Arabs participating in events in Northern Mali.The attacks on The US conflict in Benghazi and the In Amenas gas complex ressemble the classic  planning and target acquistion of Al Qaeda in its prime, the aim being to scorea propaganda success againstthe West and kill as many people as possible.

Al Qaeda terrorist activity has shifted from Afghanistan and Pakistan to an arc stretching from Yemen, Somalia, northern Nigeria and now across the Sahel.The failure to control Gaddafi's armouries following his defeat in Libyan crisis of 2011 that Mali was invaded by Tuareg tribesmen who straddle the highland border areas. What has been happening in Nigeria, Mali, Libya and Algeria has created a new arc of instability in the Sahel region running from West Africa to the shores of the Mediterranean.

Infact,Rusi points out, Al Qaeda has turned full circle. Bin Laden was Saudi and his then  number two Ayman
Al-Zawahiri, is an Egyptian but many of the early members of Al Qaeda were North African  and Somali. It was only reluctantly Rusi says that Al Qaeda accepted the Taliban invitation to join them. When Mullah Omar realised that Al Qaeda was trying to take over the Taliban Rusi writes that there is convincing evidence that  he was prepared to assassinate Bin Laden Rusi says but had to protect him after the 9/11 attack on New York which was seen as a major victory.The American invasion of Afghanistan followed.

The document found in Timbuktu shows a centrally-directed attempt to achieve all the old Al Qaada ambitions; to ally with other political movements in order to hijack them; to fight guerrilla wars for disputed territory, and to build up a new Caliphate that will extend across the Middle East and far beyond.Al Qaeda is still pursuing the same aims but it is dependent on the political movements it takes over . Whilst the Sahel and North Africa is now their area of interest again they are active in Iraq and Syria spreading instability wherever they can.