U.S. General Says al-Qaida Eyeing Africa
Squeezed out of sanctuaries elsewhere in the world, al-Qaida may be considering new havens in Africa where they can exploit weak governments and take advantage of lawless deserts or jungles to train, recruit and plan future operations, the deputy head of U.S. forces in Europe said Friday. Key among U.S. military proposals to fight back is the temporary deployment of company-sized American units to train armies throughout the continent, patrol alongside them, or carry out U.S. missions to hunt terrorists on short notice if necessary. “Some people compare it to draining a swamp,” Air Force Gen. Charles Wald told The Associated Press, eyeing a map of Africa in his office in Stuttgart. “We need to drain the swamp.” Full Story