The Islamist Move Toward East Africa

Submitted by Douglas Farah on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 07:01

On of the most important parts of the growth of al Qaeda related groups or other armed and like-minded organizations, is the transfer of knowledge and technologies. It is something at which al Qaeda has excelled, both in the transfer of “lessons learned” in fighting U.S. and European troops, and in adapting and sharing what works. This is true with the IEDs, suicide bombing technology and other areas.

So the Associated Press story on the move to transfer technology from the Pakistani border regions to Africa is worrisome, particularly given the ties that already exist with the al Shaab movements and al Qaeda’s infrastructure in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa

Africom, struggling to find a home and a mission that is viable in the region, is handicapped by a severe lack of intelligence resources on the ground.

The cluster of militants now believed to be operating inside East Africa could pass on sophisticated training and attack techniques gleaned from seven years at war against the U.S. and allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.

“There is a level of activity that is troubling, disturbing,” Gen. William “Kip” Ward, head of U.S. Africa Command, told The Associated Press. “When you have these vast spaces that are just not governed it provides a haven for support activities, for training to occur.”

I personally don’t like the use of “ungoverned spaces” as a definition of areas where the state is not present. Almost all of those spaces are, in fact governed, just not by state actors that we recognize. But the pirate clans certainly govern some parts of the Somali coast, al Shaabab governs other parts, and the fragile government governs a few others.

But the point is correct. The groups need safe spaces in which to train, teach and practice. Those with years of experience in Afghanistan know not only certain types of technology, but how U.S. forces operate, what the vulnerabilities are and what the strengths are. They know security arrangements for high-value targets, and they know how to penetrate many of those perimeters.

This is invaluable knowledge for future confrontations, and the expectation they will be meeting U.S. troops and other foreign, infidel forces along the way. It also helps transmit the most lethal and successful tactics in an area like Somalia where internet access is far more limited than much of the rest of the world.

So the training is valuable and likely will improve the operational capabilities of the different militant groups in Somalia and elsewhere in East Africa. Already, as the story notes, there are signs of increasing sophistication, particularly in the use of simultaneous suicide bombings, one of the al Qaeda signature methodologies.

It is likely also a highly valuable motivational tool. There is no disputing the Taliban in Pakistan, and the Taliban and its Arab fighter allies in Afghanistan have made significant strides.

In the narrative of their struggle (largely a cosmic struggle between good and evil played out on earth), such advances are vital to validating the central thesis that Allah is on the move and success will be his through his Jihadists on earth.

This affords an opportunity not only to add to the narrative, but to shape the theology of a group where many members have shallower theological roots than the Afghan fighters.

This is fundamental in the long-term motivation and retention of the fighters, many who join initially for economic reasons rather than religious belief. The challenge is keeping them engaged in cosmic war for ends other than material gain, and narrative is the way to maximize that potential.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Douglas Farah is an award-winning investigative journalist and Senior Fellow in Financial Investigations and Transparency at the International Assessment and StrategyCenter. E-mail him at doug@douglasfarah.com.

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Send MUST-APES to Gas

Submitted by Islamophobic (not verified) on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 14:55.

Send MUST-APES to Gas Chambers!

The Islamist have been in

Submitted by Raisin Head (not verified) on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 20:55.

The Islamist have been in control of East Africa since the 7-9th century. when Muhammad cross over the Red Sea with his unhappy band of thieves, East Africa has been toast. Africans were naive and accepting of the Arabs as they had always traded with them as the Jews did in Yathrib (Medina) Once the Arabs found out how naive they were they began a system of domination and took many East African slaves to Iraq and other Arabian and Persian nations.
Soon the African black slaves revolted and ruled Iraq for 10 years until the holy warriors of allah killed most of them. Talqan was the Black slave who lead the revolt. The African-Iraqi there today are called the Zenj and they are called every bad name in the Islamic book and then some. Look at the pictures and see how they are treated, Buy the book Religious bullying and get the tape of an American Black soldier who experienced raxcism after going to iraq to free them and they called him dirt. Not the white men but the Black ones. The Iraqi made the Afro-Iraqi stop talking to the Black soldiers because their relatives would be killed if they talked to Americans. How evil and racist. they didnt allow the Afro-Iraqi to vote. Nows they want to run for office and the Iraqi laugh at them. The language of Swahili was made up of Bantu-Arabic trade name. Arab were so evil they killed and castrated over 100 million black Africans and sexed their girls and women AFTER THE MEN WERE DEAD, As mo did the Jews. Did he make a contract with them like he claimed he did with the Jews.

Sudan is an arabic word for land of the Blacks. Yet arabs own sudan. Arab-Africans ruled Sudan and are now killing all of the black Sudanese Muslims and putting them in slave camps and selling them for $13 for girls and $86 for boys.
Christendom members, both blaCK AND WHITE ARE TRYING TO STOP THE iSLAMIC SLAVERY. where are the Arabic Muslims. Why do the members of christendom have to feed Black Muslims when they are taught to hate Jews and christians? Today, with the planes, phones, internet, we are kept abreast of all of the goings on in the world.

Today, Muslims smell blood! Obama makes it look like he is so in love with Muslims. If he is, why not get 3 more wives and see how Michele likes it. Smile) They think he is an infidel as he left Islam at age 20 aND said in his book he would support the Muslims if the ill wind blow. Well he is president of America, not Islamville, and he better wake up and realize it. Four years and it is up!