European Knight
06-11-2015, 03:00 PM
Jihadists Destroy Proposed World Heritage Site in Mali (http://www.voanews.com/content/mali-proposed-world-heritage-site-destroyed/2749450.html)
BAMAKO, MALI—Jihadists have destroyed a mausoleum in central Mali that had been submitted as a U.N. World Heritage site, leaving behind a warning that they will come after all those who don't follow their strict version of Islam, a witness said Monday.
The dynamite attack on the mausoleum of Cheick Amadou Barry mirrors similar ones that were carried out in northern Mali in 2012 when jihadists seized control of the major towns there. The destruction also comes as concerns grow about the emergence of a new extremist group active much further south and closer to the capital.
Barry was a marabout, or important Islamic religious leader, in the 19th century who helped to spread Islam among the animists of central Mali. One of his descendants, Bologo Amadou Barry, confirmed to The Associated Press that the
site had been partially destroyed in Hamdallahi village on Sunday night.
The jihadists left behind a note on Sunday warning they would attack all those who did not follow the teachings of Islam's prophet.
"They also threatened France and the U.N. peacekeepers and all those who work with them," Bologo Amadou Barry said.
French troops in Mali struggle to identify the enemy (http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/french-troops-in-mali-struggle-to-identify-the-enemy/article/435483)
Confronted with jihadists, separatists, traffickers and bandits, all in similar pick-ups and wearing the same military garb, French troops in Mali face a vexing conundrum -- figuring out exactly who the enemy is.
It has become a problem, too, for the international community following the formulation of a peace deal signed on May 15 by the Malian government and its allies, and due to be ratified by the Tuareg-led rebellion this month.
In the northwestern desert of Timbuktu, the soldiers of the French "Operation Barkhane" find themselves fighting what the force, with its weakness for a pithy acronym, has termed GAT, or "armed terrorist groups".
These should never be confused with GAS -- or "armed signatory groups" -- militants who are on board with the peace process and are, theoretically, no longer part of the problem.
Yet in the harsh realities of desert combat, the nuance can sometimes be lost.
Seen from the sky or through binoculars, the fighters of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) can look no different from the Tuareg rebels or armed bandits and smugglers who have always plied the region.
Each group uses the same Toyota pick-ups, loaded with bags and jerry cans, wears the same tunics and scarves typical of desert populations, and carries the same Kalashnikov assault rifles
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/1/0/4/8/0/9/3/i/2/4/3/p-large/a9b78763c7d0275c3c1b1d6d42f5b5ce5e859639.jpg
BAMAKO, MALI—Jihadists have destroyed a mausoleum in central Mali that had been submitted as a U.N. World Heritage site, leaving behind a warning that they will come after all those who don't follow their strict version of Islam, a witness said Monday.
The dynamite attack on the mausoleum of Cheick Amadou Barry mirrors similar ones that were carried out in northern Mali in 2012 when jihadists seized control of the major towns there. The destruction also comes as concerns grow about the emergence of a new extremist group active much further south and closer to the capital.
Barry was a marabout, or important Islamic religious leader, in the 19th century who helped to spread Islam among the animists of central Mali. One of his descendants, Bologo Amadou Barry, confirmed to The Associated Press that the
site had been partially destroyed in Hamdallahi village on Sunday night.
The jihadists left behind a note on Sunday warning they would attack all those who did not follow the teachings of Islam's prophet.
"They also threatened France and the U.N. peacekeepers and all those who work with them," Bologo Amadou Barry said.
French troops in Mali struggle to identify the enemy (http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/french-troops-in-mali-struggle-to-identify-the-enemy/article/435483)
Confronted with jihadists, separatists, traffickers and bandits, all in similar pick-ups and wearing the same military garb, French troops in Mali face a vexing conundrum -- figuring out exactly who the enemy is.
It has become a problem, too, for the international community following the formulation of a peace deal signed on May 15 by the Malian government and its allies, and due to be ratified by the Tuareg-led rebellion this month.
In the northwestern desert of Timbuktu, the soldiers of the French "Operation Barkhane" find themselves fighting what the force, with its weakness for a pithy acronym, has termed GAT, or "armed terrorist groups".
These should never be confused with GAS -- or "armed signatory groups" -- militants who are on board with the peace process and are, theoretically, no longer part of the problem.
Yet in the harsh realities of desert combat, the nuance can sometimes be lost.
Seen from the sky or through binoculars, the fighters of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) can look no different from the Tuareg rebels or armed bandits and smugglers who have always plied the region.
Each group uses the same Toyota pick-ups, loaded with bags and jerry cans, wears the same tunics and scarves typical of desert populations, and carries the same Kalashnikov assault rifles
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/1/0/4/8/0/9/3/i/2/4/3/p-large/a9b78763c7d0275c3c1b1d6d42f5b5ce5e859639.jpg