Security chiefs highlight terrorist link up threat.

General Carter F. Ham commander of the US Africom highighted emerging terrorist threats yesterday at the  at the Centre for African Strategic Studies in  Washington. He noted that Al Qaeda and its affiliate al- Shabaab were active in East Africa. Africom was combatting their activities by training, equipping and funding the African Union Mission and Somalian forces from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

He also pointe to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in the Sahel and pricipally Mali where at present they are  "essentially unconstrained".They were aggressively forcing the population under their control to observe Sahria and had  "very clearly" shown a desire to attack America.

Further south in Nigeria Boko Haram is aggressively continuing its bombing camapaign against christians and undermining the Nigerian state. The activities of each organisation,are worrying and there is evidence the General said that they are "In other words, [they seek] to establish a cooperative effort amongst the three most violent organizations, and I think that's a real problem for us, and for Africa's security, in general," he said. Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram may be sharing funds, training and explosive materials to coordinate and synchronize their efforts." General Ham said.He also voiced concerns about Libya as it approaches its elections, as al Qaeda and other groups are seeking to establish bases in Libya.The US and Libya are discussing military cooperation, he said.

In London  last week the Director General of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5, Jonathan Evans speaking at the inaugural Lord  Mayor’s Annual Defence and Security Lecture in London warned that a new terrorist threat had emerged from an “Arab world in radical transition”, reported the Daily Telegraph.

He noted that Al Qaeda was moving back from Afghanistan and Pakistan and returning to the Arab world. The danger was that a certain number of British born  jihadi's who had sought training in Somalia and Yemen were now ready return to the UK to organise attacks there.Parts of the Arab world were he said once again offering  a "permissive environment" for Al Qaeda.

Figures last year suggested more than 100 Britons have received training by terror groups in Somalia and it is feared as many are now being prepared for terror attacks across Yemen, Egypt and Libya.

“al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and the Sahel have become more dangerous as al-Qaeda in Pakistan has declined and we see increasing levels of co-operation between al-Qaeda groups in various parts of the world,” he said.

He said the network is also active in Syria and across Mali and West Africa where the UK has economic and political ties.