Boldness of Qaeda Affiliate in Africa Raises Fears in West

By ERIC SCHMITT and SOUAD MEKHENNET
Published: July 9, 2009

WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s affiliate in North Africa has carried out a string of killings, bombings and other lethal attacks against Westerners and African security forces in recent weeks that have raised fears that the terrorist group may be taking a deadlier turn.

American and European security and counterterrorism officials say that the attacks may signal the return of foreign fighters from the battlefields of Iraq, where they honed their bomb-making skills. The attacks also reflect Al Qaeda’s growing tentacles in the northern tier of Africa, outside the group’s main sanctuary in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

• To read the full NY Times article, please click here.
• To read the backgrounder from the Council on Foreign Relations, click here.