U.S.: al-Qaida May Be Looking to Africa
Squeezed out of sanctuaries elsewhere in the world, al-Qaida may be looking to the deserts and jungles of Africa as a haven where terrorists could train recruits and plan new attacks, the deputy head of U.S. forces in Europe said Friday. Key among U.S. military proposals to fight back is deploying American units of about 200 soldiers to train armies throughout the continent, patrol alongside them, or 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.” Wald said some terrorists had been sent to Iraq from North Africa, and there were indications that al-Qaida has established a presence and tried to recruit in North Africa over the past two years. Full Story