Halting The Islamist Threat

Western democracies are no longer facing a shadowy enemy. Now that jihadist militants, many of whom are al Qaeda linked terrorists, have for more than a year have launched successful aggressive action against both Africans and Westerners in Mali and in Algeria, the international community has finally become aware of the threat of resurgent Islamist terrorism. The jihadist campaign has spread throughout the world from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the African continent, portending ambitions for conquests in the Western world.

The threat became clear when Islamist terrorists, after conquering and controlling the northern part of the country of Mali, advanced even further south and captured the city of Konna, about 400 miles from the capital Bamako. The various radical Islamist groups, some of whom had fought in Libya, were well supplied with arms which they had taken from Libya after the Gadhafi regime collapsed.

Jihadist success led to an imperious ultimatum that the government of Mali agree to its demand that Sharia law be enforced in the areas of the country still under government control. The jihadist demand resulted from the delay by the international community in coming to the aid of the Mali government. This action had been authorized on December 21, 2012 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085 which called for the deployment for one year of an international force, the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) “to reduce the threat posed by terrorist organizations and associated groups.” However, implementation is not likely to take place until the fall of 2013, and it appears improbable that this force by itself could have reduced the threat.

Similarly, the African regional security federation, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), had pledged a force of 3,300 men to fight against the Islamists but so far less than half have arrived in the country and they had little success. In addition, and not unexpectedly, NATO also decided to take no military action.

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