Topic: Al Qaeda in the Maghreb
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French embassy bombing hits embassy and innocent neighbors
The French embassy bombing this morning in Tripoli, Libya, started fires in the embassy itself and several nearby buildings, including homes outside the French compound. Two embassy guards were wounded in the bombing, as was a Libyan girl eating breakfast.
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Abou Zeid killed? Local Malians say it happened, but French not so sure
Abou Zeid killed: Sources in Mali that Al Qaeda commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed four days ago as French and Malian forces continued their pursuit of Islamist militants in the northern part of the country.
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The Monitor's View: In Timbuktu, Al Qaeda showed 'seeds of its decay'
A secret letter written by Al Qaeda's leader in north Africa during his 10-month rule of Timbuktu reveals the internal contradictions of jihadists that will end their appeal.
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Africa Monitor Expat kidnapping in Nigeria fuels questions about rising militant presence
The group that claimed responsibility for the attack may have links to Boko Haram, a militant group known for its terror campaigns in the region.
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In Paris, first arrest of Islamist suspects since start of Mali war
Three of the four men arrested on Tuesday were Franco-Congolese and one was Malian, according to police sources.
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Opinion: A better way to keep Islamists at bay in Mali
France says it will withdraw from Mali once an African peacekeeping force is in place. To keep Islamists at bay, the US is considering increasing its military presence in the region. A better approach is to focus on fixing the governance issues that fuel radicalism to begin with.
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Can Timbuktu stay pacified after Islamist rebels are run out?
With gun caches still to round up and ethnic rivalries to negotiate as thousands of residents return, can Timbuktu avoid spasms of 'vengeance'?
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Backchannels The French are winning handily in Mali
Enough with the facile Vietnam and Afghanistan analogies.
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Opinion: Conflict in Mali shows US needs greater engagement in Africa
While I am pleased at reports of US cooperation with France to stop Islamist extremists Mali and run them out of Timbuktu, I remain concerned about the interrelated, widespread threat of terror in the region. America cannot afford to treat it as compartmentalized country-by-country issue.
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In Salafis wake, charred Malian heritage in Timbuktu
Shortly before being driven from Mali's ancient city of Timbuktu, the salafi jihadis who'd occupied the city lit a bonfire with some of its ancient manuscripts.
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Terrorism & Security France rolls north in Mali, but daunting second phase looms (+video)
French troops entered the once Islamist-occupied city of Kidal today without opposition. But dealing with Islamist guerrillas and placating secular Taureg rebels will likely prove more difficult.
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On North Africa's western flank, long-simmering conflict causes unease
Morocco has strengthened its hold on the contested – and resource-rich – Western Sahara. But efforts to maintain the status quo could renew unrest, adding to the current instability across North Africa.
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What are Western and African powers up against in Mali, Algeria?
Leaders around the world are vowing to strike back hard at Islamist militancy that is surging across North Africa. Here are some of the challenges they face.
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Algeria hostage crisis brings world to North Africa's anti-Islamist fight (+video)
US confirms it deployed drones to monitor the fast-moving Algeria hostage crisis, which thrust Algeria onto center stage of the regional battle against radical Islamists.
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Terrorism & Security Algerian hostage crisis heightens as scores are reported dead (+video)
According to Algerian news sources, some 30 Algerians and 15 foreigners have escaped the natural gas field, and another 35 hostages have reportedly died in an airstrike.
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Islamic militants attack Algerian gas field, kidnap at least nine
It is not clear whether the dawn raid, which left two dead and at least nine foreigners kidnapped, was tied to France's military intervention against Islamist rebels in neighboring Mali.
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Terrorism & Security Mali rebel fighters better prepared than first thought: French officials
Initial French estimates of a brief conflict may be revised as militants are not breaking quickly, French airstrikes continue, and more French troops are on the way.
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Terrorism & Security Mali Islamists threaten to retaliate 'at the heart of France' (+video)
France committed its forces to a military intervention in Mali to stop the Islamists' advance toward Bamako. Today, they threatened payback.
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Tunisian suspect in Benghazi attack released
Armed groups assaulted the lightly guarded mission on Sept. 11 and killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, but despite US promises there has been little news of progress so far in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
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Moving Mali forward
Mali was turned upside down last spring as armed groups overran the north and the military toppled the president. For some, crisis is a wake-up call, offering Malians a chance to create a new path.
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Focus
Will Mali be Africa's Afghanistan?Mali was hit by two successive shocks to its system this year – with the north seized by rebels and a coup in the capital – leaving its government fragile and the international community mulling intervention.
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Petraeus testifies that CIA always suspected terrorists in Libya attack
Ex-CIA director David Petraeus told lawmakers that the CIA's draft talking points named specific terrorist groups. But Petraeus said some federal agency changed it to "extremists."
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Yemen shooting: Are US embassy officials in the Mideast secure? (+video)
The drive-by shooting that killed a Yemeni security officer assigned to the US Embassy in Sana bore the fingerprints of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has targeted the US in the past.
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Libya attack: Not a problem of intelligence (+video)
Questions linger about the way the Obama Administration presented intelligence information following a violent attack in Benghazi, Libya last month. It appears now that from very early in their investigation U.S. officials had information implicating organized militants.
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Hillary Clinton drops strong hint that Al Qaeda was behind Libya attack
Hillary Clinton told a UN meeting on security in North Africa that the Libya attack points to how several extremist groups – including an Al Qaeda affiliate – are destabilizing the region.
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