Timbuk...where?

As I mentioned in my previous post, there's a pretty good article in this month's National Geographic about the Malinese city of Timbuktu. I even managed to find it online for you guys. The article is primarily about the history of the city and large amount of ancient texts and manuscripts in the hands of its citizens, libraries, and mosques. The city has so many books and scholars because of Timbuktu's location along the caravan routes from Egypt to Western Africa. It's a very good read if you have the time.

A map for the geographically challenged. Timbuktu is the city in the middle of the country.

What interested me the most was the discussion in the article about Al Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb and that organization's influence and effect on the region. AQIM has kidnapped many westerners in the area and held them for ransom which has severely decreased tourism for Timbuktu.

Also included is a paragraph on how AQIM spread its power in Mali. The group's leader in Mali, Mokhtar Belmokhtar "Belaouer" (Algerian-French slang for "the One-Eye"), gained the protection from the tribes of northern Mali by marrying the daughter of one of the more powerful chiefs. The Malinese Army doesn't conduct operations against him because some of Belaouer's men assasinated an army colonel in Timbuktu in front of his family.

Marrying into the tribe is one of the primary means of Al Qaida linked organizations and other terrorist organizations gain access and protection in the areas they wish to operate. It occured in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and virtually every place AQ has attempted to establish itself. They tried it in the Anbar Province of Iraq but they apparently overstepped their bounds, either due to the tribes in that area disliking the idea of foreigners marrying their daughters, or because AQ leaders demanded the marriages thus angering the tribal leaders.

The assasination of the colonel as an intimidation factor is also very familiar in Iraq and in 1-14 Cav's old operating environment as well. A very similar situation occured in the Tibij area of our OE which was just across the river from FOB Cobra to the west. I don't recall when, but I believe just prior to our arrival, an Iraqi Army lieutenant colonel was tortured and brutally killed by the local Al Qaida in Iraq cell outside his home in front of his family and many of the local villagers also witnessed the incident. After the assassination, the cell leader called the nearby Iraqi Army battalion intelligence officer and told him what they had done. The intel officer and a patrol arrived on the scene just as the cell members were leaving. In the coming days the cell would text message several of the IA officers and warn them that they would be next if they continued to target the AQI cell. That IA battalion was the most ineffective and challenging battalion to work with in the brigade we assisted due to the intimidation they faced.

Never underestimate the ruthlessness of your opponent...or the effectiveness of his tactics.