Al Qaeda Is on the Brink of Taking Over a Country

[TheProle]

Al Qaeda militants are moving closer to seizing the capital of the West African nation of Mali, which, should the city fall, would become the first country in the world run by the U.S.-designated terrorist group.

The rapid advance of the jihadists in Africa comes after Islamist groups took power in both Afghanistan and Syria, but, if they take Bamako, it would be the first time militants with direct and current connections to al Qaeda achieve such a feat.

snip

The current Malian junta expelled a French-led force and hired Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, but they, too, failed to quell the violence.

Instead, the Kremlin’s guns-for-hire and their Malian allies embarked on a campaign of widespread reprisals that drove many locals to join al Qaeda or at least seek its protection, say human-rights activists and local community leaders.

https://archive.is/7ponJ#selection-813.0-821.236