The New Face of Al-Qaeda in West Africa: Al-Mourabitoun

Just what the world needs...a new allegiance of al Qaeda terror groups in West Africa!  Good grief.  I'm starting to think that an al Qaeda franchise is cheaper than a Subway franchise.

The story comes from SOFREP.

The New Face of Al-Qaeda in West Africa: Al-Mourabitoun

by Derek G


There is a new threat in the West African jihadist front. A unified organization of three ruthless terror groups is emerging with deep financial backing and is looking for new members. Its name goes back to the 11th century tribe named Almoravids, or in Arabic, Al-Murābiṭūn, which translates to “the one who is ready to battle at a fortress.” This Berberesque tribe defeated a Christian uprising in the Sahara, and conquered the entire Algerian/Malian tribal areas, thus emplacing their Islamic teachings and influences within that region for centuries, until the French arrived to colonize.

The intent of establishing the Al-Mourabitoun is simple. They want to cleanse and enforce sharia law from “The Nile to the Atlantic Ocean”. But who is leading this and what terror groups have signed on?

The first two groups to join together under this banner were none other than The Masked Brigade, or “Those That Sign with Blood,” which is led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar. MBM (as he’s known in Pentagon circles) has truly stepped out ahead of the other al-Qaeda battle flagged leaders in the Maghreb. Trained in mujahedeen camps run by Osama bin Laden during the Soviet/Afghan war, Mokhtar was enamored by the natural leadership and dedication to the teachings of the mujahid that bin Laden embrued onto his fellow muhj fighters. It is rumored that Mokhtar named his first-born son “Osama” after the great Caliphate.

MBM’s loyalty to al-Qaeda and its mission was stamped in blood when Al-Zawahiri publicly praised the brigade commander’s tactics and successes in places such as Arlit, and the smuggling that lined AQ central’s war chests. This of course didn’t sit well with the leadership of AQIM and led to him and his second in command to leave the organization. This leads to the second group affiliated with Mokhtar’s “Justice League of Jihadism,” a group called The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa.

MOJWA is led by a man named Oumar Ould Hamaha. Oumar has an interesting past, as he was Mokhtar’s second in command in his former AQIM brigade, and left with Mokhtar after a falling out with the leader of AQIM and their Shura council. Oumar Hamaha, or “Hakka,” which translates into AK due to his purported prowess with an Ak-47. He has been at Mokhtar’s side for a couple of decades and shares Mokhtar’s vision of a Sahara and Africa free of Western influence.

Oumar is also a public spokesperson for another little-known group called Ansar Dine, which, along with AQIM and MOJWA, won the battle for control of Gao, Mali in 2012. These two major groups, along with the smaller “slice element” Ansar Dine, make up the bulk of the Al-Mourabitoun terror organization. But just like the Joker from The Dark Knight said: They are in the market for “aggressive expansion,” but will there be try-outs?

Al- Mourabitoun’s main goal is to annex the little-known terror groups who have claimed allegiance to al-Qaeda teachings and mission, namely al-Shabaab, who put themselves in the media limelight after the confirmed killing of Omar “Al-Amriki” Hammami in late August, followed by the fateful Kenyan Mall attack on September 21st.

Boko Haram, another al-Qaeda affiliated terror group answered the al-Shabaab attack with an equally yet little-reported massacre of 50 college students while they slept on September 29th at an agriculture school. They lit the dormitory, classrooms and several buildings on fire before fading off into the ink-black night. Libyan-based Tureg tribesmen, fresh from fighting in Libya and the murky civil war in Syria, who have loose connections with the emir Mokhtar Belmokhtar, have been throwing their battle-tested skills into the mix, and throwing a whole lot of unused Libyan army weapons into the hands of willing fundamentalists.

But what troubles me is the expansion into Tunisia. The Ansar al Sharia Tunisia group was designated an official terror group in a statement by the government of Tunisia on September 3rd. Ansar al Sharia answered this with a statement of their own, reaffirming their continued support to the al-Qaeda network, and their “loyalty” to the new unified terror group Al-Mourabitoun, and by de-facto its leader, emir Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

Ansar al Sharia’s leader, Seifailah Ben Hassine, or Abu Iyad al Tunisi, goes further by stating his group received extensive training in Libya and Syria during the Arab Dawn struggles. Seifallah Ben Hassine has also been suspected of ordering the assassination of an opposition politician, Chokri Belaid, for speaking out against the oppressive Salifist political uprising. Ben Hassine embraces his group’s new moniker as a global threat to the Western world and its interests, calling it an “honor.” With all this saber rattling from Ansar al Sharia and its leader, one wonders how eager these folks are to prove their loyalty.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar continues to be found in most of the reporting and research on this newly formed “Justice League of Jihad,” making him the most interested in man in the Maghreb. In a 2007 cable acquired by Wikileaks, MBM stated that he wanted out. Using a family member to contact the Algerian government, Mokhtar was reported to have requested amnesty for his multitude of crimes and broken international terrorism laws, giving the Algerian government a list of demands, such as immunity for himself and three aids, permission to settle unhampered with his families and their Tureg tribal connections in Barabsha tribal region of Northern Mali. And to top it off, he wanted the Algerians to pay for all of this “resettlement.” Once the Algerian intelligence services got hold of this information and shared it with (lets say the French), that request was placed in the circular filing cabinet and Mokhtar was, in essence, told to go pack sand.

So, Mokhtar Belmokhtar decided to do the next best thing: follow in the footsteps of his most influential spiritual and tactical teacher, Osama bin Laden. It’s hard not to draw even the flimsiest of comparisons to the now deceased bin Laden’s almost sage-like influence and ability to incite pure jihadi anti-western sentiment, and the way Mokhtar has developed himself from a mere smuggler and thug into a highly influential and natural leader of West Africa’s first truly unified Terror Inc.

With al-Qaeda central command all but a talking head piece and its most prolific “boots on ground” leaders deceased, has Mokhtar Belmokhtar inadvertently become the next “Code-Name Geronimo”?

Muslim Persecution of Christians: August, 2012

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

While many people are regularly persecuted by Islam's blasphemy law, one particular case made August headlines: a 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan, Rimsha Masih, was arrested, accused of burning pages of a Quran. Rioting Muslims destroyed Christian homes and churches, tore Bibles to pieces and broke crosses, while calling for the death penalty against her. Because this story made it to the mainstream media, widespread international condemnation caused Pakistani authorities to release her recently, not by annulling Pakistan's blasphemy law, but by finding loopholes, from characterizing the girl as retarded—Islamic law does not mandate punishment for blasphemers if they are retarded—to the unprecedented exposure of a Muslim cleric who framed her.

Because this incident prompted a widespread rampage against Pakistan's Christians, thousands have deserted their homes and are dispossessed. The Christians from Rimsha's neighborhood, including women and children, fled into the woods in fear of Muslim retribution, while others were evicted by their Muslim landlords. A few Christians sleeping overnight on the ground just miles away from Pakistani government buildings decided to build a church there and make it their permanent dwelling place. "Here it is not anybody's home, nobody's land. Let us live here in safety," said one. Another said: "We have cleared this place with our hands, and we have laid the first foundation of a small church here. Although this is a mere skeleton made of tree branches, this is the holy home of God. This should be respected."

Categorized by theme, August's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and in country alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity.

Jihad Killings and Christian Displacement

Iraq: What Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors, characterized as "religicide," continues unabated in the nation that was liberated by U.S. forces a decade ago: "Christians in cities like Baghdad and Mosul are gripped by terrorism. They are fleeing in droves. Today [August 16] it was reported that at least 20 people died in blasts and shootings across the country." Before the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Mosul was home to some 75,000 Christians, but now the number has dropped to around 25,000. Christian homes are set on fire, bombs placed in their cars; other Christian families are receiving letters threatening them to leave Iraq or be kidnapped or killed.
Ivory Coast: As part of the civil war, Muslim rebels "massacred hundreds and displaced tens of thousands" of predominantly Christian supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. Since the attack, when their homes were taken by rebels, some 5,000 predominantly Christian ethnic Guere have been forced to flee into the ungoverned, inhospitable bush, or to the Catholic mission in Duekoue. The priest there reported that the mission has also been threatened by "crowds of angry youths."
Mali: As many as 200,000 Christians are fleeing to Algeria and Mauritania, where they are seeking a safe haven from Islamic terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, who have become increasingly active in the northern regions of the nation.
Nigeria: The Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram [Western Education is a Sin] continued its jihad [holy war] to purge north Nigeria of all Christians. In one instance, gunmen murdered a 57-year-old evangelist of a Pentecostal church. When threatened earlier, he had said "I leave everything in the hands of God."
Syria: Some 12,000 people were blockaded in the predominantly Christian town of Rableh by anti-government forces; they killed several people trying to leave and refused the entry of food and medical supplies. Government forces had reportedly driven out the opposition by August 24. Christians were also given an ultimatum to leave the nearby cities of Qusayr and Homs, which has been almost entirely cleansed of its 50,000-60,000 Christian population. The predominantly Christian part of Aleppo was also hit by heavy fighting earlier this month; and a car bomb was detonated in the predominantly Christian area of Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, as "a crowd of faithful, families, elderly people, women and children, were heading to the cemetery to bury two young people who had died a day earlier, on August 27, also victims of an IED. Twelve died (other sources say as many as 27), including five children, and injuring more than 50 people." Further, "a family of Armenian Christians was found murdered, and all members of the family horribly decapitated."

Church Attacks

Azerbaijan: The highest appeals court upheld the decision to close Greater Grace Church, "the first religious community to be liquidated by a court since the country's harsh new religion law came into force in 2009." The church, registered since 1993, had provided a place for Christian worship and teaching for almost 20 years; and with a congregation of nearly 500, was one of the larger Protestant churches in the country.
Indonesia: Two churches were the latest to be forcibly closed in West Java: First, a "large tent" used for services by St. Johannes Baptista Church in Bogor was sealed off by authorities on August 7. The congregation had been using the tent since 2006 as a temporary location while they awaited a permit for a proper building, for which it had applied in 2000. Police threatened to "tear down" the tent if the Christians continued to use it; the church leader suspects the hostility is linked to the growth of the congregation, which now numbers around 500. Second, Batak Karo Protestant Church in Bandung was sealed off by protesters who claimed that the congregation had earlier agreed not to use the building, even though it now has all necessary permits to hold service.
Kenya: After a fight ensued between the supporters of a Muslim cleric who had died and the police, a church near the mosque where the funeral was being held was set on fire, and another church was attacked. Separately, another church was attacked and looted "by an armed mob," believed to be sympathizers of the al-Shabaab terrorist organization. In the words of the pastor who witnessed the pillage, "attackers armed with guns stormed the compound and immediately began pulling down one iron sheet after another, and soon 60 iron sheets were gone. It was a terrible sight to watch the walls of the church come down, [but] I could not shout for help because the attackers could gun me down. Shocked and dismayed, the church's 60 congregants arrived for worship the next day to find their church building in ruins." Police were told that there were threats of an attack and that local Muslims were saying things such as "we do not want infidels in this area," but did nothing. These latest attacks "came only one week after al-Shabab militants hurled grenades into the African Inland Church of Garissa, in eastern Kenya, and opened fire on congregants, killing 17 people, including 15 worshipers. Grenades were also thrown at the local Catholic church." More than 14 churches have been attacked in Kenya since April.
Nigeria: Gunmen, probably connected with the jihadi organization Boko Haram, "stormed the Deeper Life Church, where Christian worshippers were gathered in prayer, and surrounded the church in the middle of a worship service and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles on the worshippers." At least 19 of them were killed, including the pastor. The following day, an unexploded bomb was discovered at Revival Church.
Syria: Gunmen attacked the Catholic monastery of Mar Musa, which dates from the 4^th century, and is located north of Damascus. None of the monks was hurt, although the monastery was, in the words of Father Dall'Oglio, "sacked," and "gunmen stole everything they could steal," including tractors and other agricultural tools.

Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism

Egypt: A Christian man accused of defaming Islam was arrested after a complaint in which he was accused of posting opinions in Facebook which insulted Muhammad. Insults to Islam and the prophet are considered crimes in Egypt under Article 98(f) of the Penal Code, which states: "Confinement for a period of not less than six months and not exceeding five years… shall be the penalty inflicted on whoever makes use of religion in propagating, either by words, in writing, or in any other means, extreme ideas for the purpose of inciting strife, ridiculing or insulting a heavenly religion or a sect following it, or damaging national unity."
Pakistan: After a Pakistani flag with the name of "Allah" on it accidentally blew from a Christian's property to a Muslim's, the Muslim accused the Christian of deliberately trying to blaspheme the name of Allah. This accusation was advertised in the local mosques, and prompted enraged Muslims to threaten to burn down the homes of the 15 Christian families in the area. Also, a Christian pastor, who had preached among Muslims, some of whom showed interest in converting, was threatened and subsequently kidnapped.
Tanzania: A 17-year-old girl, Eva Abdullah, who had abandoned Islam three years ago to convert to Christianity, was sentenced to two years in prison after being accused of desecrating the Quran. Her parents had disowned her and "a group of radicals" tried to "persuade" her to renounce her Christian faith. When she refused, they falsely accused her of desecrating a Quran.
Tunisia: The nation's ruling Islamist party filed a bill to criminalize offenses against "sacred values." "Crimes" would mandate prison terms and fines for broadly worded offenses, such as insulting or mocking the "sanctity of religion." Among other things, the bill also codifies the levels of offense to religious feelings, including "insults, profanity, derision and representation of Allah and Mohammed."

Dhimmitude

[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of Non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]

Egypt: The nation's jihad organizations dropped leaflets calling on Muslims to kill Christians wherever they found them. Coptic shop owners who sell Christian icons and statues received threatening letters. Muslim "gangs" plundered and kidnapped for ransom Christians. Islamists in the Constituent Assembly demanded that the Coptic Church's funds be placed under state financial control, a measure categorically rejected by Copts: the state in no way funds the Church, even though mosques are funded by taxpayers, including Christians. Condemning the proposal, the acting Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church said the demand has only one meaning: "that Copts are clearly persecuted." Despite promising greater representation for Egypt's Copts, President Morsi broke his word and allowed only one Copt, a female, to represent the nation's 10-14% Christians in the newly formed Cabinet: "We had expected an increase in the representation of Copts especially after the number of ministries increased to 35. But the formation ignored all the known rights and concepts of citizenship," said the acting Patriarch: "It is not right that Copts get treated in this way." When Egypt's Constituent Assembly proposed a law to criminalize "forced labor, slavery, the trafficking of women and children, human organs, and the sex trade," from which Christians, especially females, would benefit, the Islamist party complained.
Iran: According to Mohabat News, authorities "raise[d] unsubstantiated charges" against five arrested converts to Christianity to "pressure" and "intimidate" them, including by falsely accusing them of desecrating the Quran, and holding them for indefinite periods. "Although their situation is still unclear six months after their arrest, there is no doubt that the Christians' only crime is related to their faith in Jesus Christ."
Pakistan: Eleven Christian student nurses were poisoned with mercury in their tea. It is believed that the Christian women were targeted as punishment for drinking tea while their Muslim colleagues were fasting during the month of Ramadan. And a 56-year-old Christian woman at the Karachi Press Club recounted how she and her family were enslaved and forced to work without pay, and tortured and beaten. Muslim "feudal lords" are threatening her and her extended family, with, among other charges, accusations of blasphemy: "Please protect us," they said. "We don't want to go back."
Saudi Arabia: The last of the 35 Ethiopian Christians held in detention since December after being arrested for holding a prayer meeting in a private home was deported home: "We have arrived home safe," one of the released said: "We believe that we are released as the result of the pressure exerted by ICC and others. The Saudi officials do not tolerate any religions other than Islam. They consider non-Muslims unbelievers. They are full of hatred towards non-Muslims."
Syria: A number of Melchite Greek Catholic priests, including the archbishop, fled to Lebanon after their offices were ransacked. According to Fides, "unidentified groups who want to feed a religious war and drag the Syrian population into sectarian conflicts" attacked the Christian area in the old quarter of Aleppo. A Byzantine Christian museum and an office of the Maronite Christian faith were also damaged.
Turkey: The chairman of Parliament's education committee is accusing the French government of "planting seeds of hate" with its move to include the Armenian genocide in history and geography books used in French secondary schools. Armenia, backed by many historians, says that about 1.5 million Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War I in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.
Uzbekistan: A 26-year-old Christian woman, paralyzed from youth, and her mother were violently attacked by six men with sticks who broke into their home at 4 a.m. The men ransacked the home, confiscating icons, bibles, religious calendars and prayer books. When the paralyzed woman furtively tried to phone for help, she was beaten again. They were all taken to the police department, where the woman was "offered to convert to Islam." She refused, and the judge eventually "decided that the women had resisted police and had stored the banned religious literature at home and conducted missionary activities. He fined them 20 minimum monthly wages each."

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

1. To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
2. To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws that criminalize and punish with death those who "offend" Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like dhimmis, or second-class, "tolerated" citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to India in the East, and throughout the West wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

Arms Dump In the Congo Goes Up In a Fireball, Over 200 Killed

A plume of smoke can be seen over Brazzaville from across the Congo River in Kinshasa, capital of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. -AFP Photo


There doesn't seem to be any evidence so far of terrorist activity involved in a humongous blast at a military arms dump in the Congo today but the aftermath is incredible with over 200 people killed and hundreds and hundreds wounded.

Officials appear to be taking the "fire in the depot" line here but as is the case in many of these massive explosions, the real story takes time to come out.

The story comes from DAWN.

Congo arms depot blast kills some 200: official


BRAZZAVILLE: Around 200 people were killed on Sunday when an arms dump exploded in Brazzaville, capital of the Congo Republic, a senior official in the presidency said, citing hospital sources.

Hundreds more were injured by the blasts which rocked the riverside capital of the oil-producing nation early in the day, flattening houses near the scene and sending a plume of smoke high above the city.

“According to sources at the central hospital we’re talking of around 200 dead and many injured,” Betu Bangana, head of protocol in the president’s office in Brazzaville, told Reuters by telephone.

“Some people are still (trapped) in their houses… They’re saying the entire neighbourhood of Mpila has been destroyed.”

Defence Minister Charles Zacharie Bowao dismissed any talk of a coup attempt or mutiny, and told state radio that the explosions had been caused by a fire in the arms depot in the Regiment Blinde base in the riverside Mpila neighbourhood.

Panic also spread to Kinshasa, across the Congo River which separates the former French colony from the larger Democratic Republic of Congo, where windows were shattered by the force of the blasts around 700 metres (770 yards) away. Both governments called for calm.

A Reuters witness in Brazzaville said residents fled the blast area, which is near a heavily populated neighbourhood and was blocked off by the security forces as a military helicopter flew overhead. Fleeing residents said houses in the area had been flattened.

Nigerian President Declares State of Emergency Over Islamic Threat

Are the islamists in Nigeria close to perhaps seizing control in the now violence drenched country? Well, apparently the President of Nigeria is concerned enough to have today called for a state of emergency. With the possibility of Muslim gangs, tribes and herdsmen perhaps overtaking control of the African country, there is no word or action from Barack Hussein Obama - apparently the President of the U.S. only reacts when there are Christian-linked groups involved in Africa.

From the report at Breitbart:

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday declared a state of emergency in areas hard hit by violence blamed on Islamist sect Boko Haram and announced the closure of part of the country's borders.

"While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities," Jonathan said in a nationwide broadcast.

"Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the constitution, declared a state of emergency (in parts of the states of Plateau, Yobe, Borno and Niger)."

The cold hard facts of Islam's designs on Africa are coming true - each and every day we see the push of the islamists southward into the continent - we see the nations of Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda under siege - we see African unity troops trying to protect Ethiopia...it is a continental war zone as the minions of Mohammed purge the country of Christians and others.

When the Islamists moved throughout Asia toppling country after country, no one dared blame it on Islam. When the Islamists took over much of southeast Asia, no one dared point a finger at the ideology of Islam. When the Islamists took over northern Africa, again no one said it was because of Islam. And now, as the very continent of Africa is being raped by the Islamists, still no one will stand up and tell the truth.

Islam is all about conquering and establishing the world caliphate. When the hell are Americans and everyone else, for that matter, going to get that through their thick skulls?

Nigeria leader declares state of emergency


Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday declared a state of emergency in areas hard hit by violence blamed on Islamist sect Boko Haram and announced the closure of part of the country's borders.

"While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities," Jonathan said in a nationwide broadcast.

"Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the constitution, declared a state of emergency (in parts of the states of Plateau, Yobe, Borno and Niger)."

The Bloody Massacre of Christians In Nigeria By Muslims Hits High

Nigeria has simply become a killing field. At least for Christians, that is. Muslim herdsmen and soldiers are now literally roaming the countrysides burning churches and slaughtering Christians as they move from village to village and now, Christian churches in many areas are debating whether they even dare congregate for services.

From Bos News Life:

Churches in central Nigeria have to decide whether to reopen this weekend for worship after dozens of Christians were killed since last week, prompting the military to step up security and impose a curfew, locals said.

Since November 20, Militant Fulani Muslim herdsmen along with Muslim soldiers killed at least 45 ethnic Berom Christians in Barkin Ladi, an area in the central city of Jos, the capital of Plateau state, according to Christians and officials.

"Lives have been lost, houses have been burned...The loss is enormous," said Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for the Special Task Force (STF) in Jos, capital of Plateau state, in published remarks.

I have talked about this many times but the islamists set their sites on the whole of Africa awhile ago...al Qaeda even mentioned a grand jihad on the continent of Africa. The northern tier of countries was taken centuries ago as the islamists needed a route to try and take Europe. Well, now the conquest of the Muslim horde is moving south....Nigeria, Chad, Kenya, and Uganda are now fully engaged as the Muslims continue to dominate the region by force. You see, most people of this world do not accept Islam willingly....it takes physical force or terrorism or threats for people to come to see the "wisdom" of Mohammed.

I realize that Barack Hussein Obama is a bit more concerned about a couple of rogue "Christian" armies in Africa but you know, you'd almost have to be a sympathizer of radical islam to not see the bloody massacre of this continent's Christian population. Hmmmm.

Nigeria Churches Challenged As Dozens Die In Plateau State


ABUJA, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)-- Churches in central Nigeria have to decide whether to reopen this weekend for worship after dozens of Christians were killed since last week, prompting the military to step up security and impose a curfew, locals said.

Since November 20, Militant Fulani Muslim herdsmen along with Muslim soldiers killed at least 45 ethnic Berom Christians in Barkin Ladi, an area in the central city of Jos, the capital of Plateau state, according to Christians and officials.

"Lives have been lost, houses have been burned...The loss is enormous," said Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for the Special Task Force (STF) in Jos, capital of Plateau state, in published remarks.

Violence over allegations by Fulani Muslims of cattle theft reportedly began November 20 and eventually contributed to a massive attack on a Barkin Ladi church on November 23 that killed four Christians.

An assault the next day left 35 Christians dead in Barkin Ladi and nearby Kwok village, according to area Christian leaders.

CHRISTIANS FLEEING

“Christians are fleeing the town because we have no guns to fight back,” said one woman in a group of six Christians trying to leave Barkin Ladi. “Muslims have guns, and they have their soldiers fighting for them, so we have no choice but to leave town,” added the woman who was not unidentified, apparently for security reasons. .

Almost all churches in the town canceled or held reduced worship services on the first Sunday, November 27, since the violence broke after out. Nearly all area Christians have fled to Jos or have left Plateau state, long hit by ethnic property conflicts fueled by anti-Christian sentiment, according to local observers.

In March 2010 ethnic Berom Christians, who live as farmers, suffered attacks from Fulani nomads who graze their cattle on the Beroms’ land, resulting in hundreds of deaths in three villages near Jos.

The latest unrest is viewed as an unwelcome challenge for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is already dealing with near-daily attacks in the northeast by the Islamist sect Boko Haram, analysts say.

MIDDLE BELT

Nigeria has a roughly equal Christian-Muslim population and more than 200 ethnic groups live side by side and violence flares up in Plateau and other parts of the "Middle Belt" from time to time.

Violence in Plateau can quickly escalate into a series of tit-for-tat attacks. More than 50 people were killed inside a week in September, and hundreds died there early this year.

Some commentators have suggested that the tensions are rooted in fierce competition for local political power and control of fertile farmland, but Christians and rights groups say the conflicts are also fueled by Muslim extremism.

Christians in several states are under increased pressure as groups such as Boko Haram try to enforce Sharia, or Islamic law there, BosNewsLife monitored.

Al Qaeda In the Islamic Maghreb Go On Kidnapping Spree - 5 Europeans Nabbed and 1 Killed In Mali

Just in case anyone wanted to sit back and relax a little bit after the Libya situation, the jihadis of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, have awoken northern Africa to a string of kidnappings and murder. Yesterday, two French nationals were kidnapped from a hotel and today, three Europeans (it appears to be Dutch and German) were kidnapped in Mali and one German was killed in the kidnapping attempt.

From the report at Breitbart via Reuters:

Gunmen kidnapped three Westerners and killed a fourth in the historic northern Mali town of Timbuktu Friday, the second hostage-taking in the region in two days, Malian government and local sources said.

One government source and a local tourist guide identified the person who was killed as a German. The guide said two of those taken hostage were Dutch and one South African, though there was no official confirmation of their nationalities.

Thursday two French nationals were kidnapped from their hotel in the same remote desert region, where local agents for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb operate.

Mohamed Ag Hamalek, a local tourist guide contacted by telephone by Reuters, described Friday's abduction. "They were taking a stroll when the armed men forced them into four-wheel-drives, they shot the German dead on the spot because he tried to resist," he said.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb operates in norther Africa across the vast deserts there but has mainly been holed up in Algeria. They have ventured out into surrounding countries from time to time when funds get low and they need some hostages for ransom funding.

This is a nasty subset of Al Qaeda who have kept the Algerians more than busy over the past few years although this group's numbers have never really increased over time.

Three Westerners kidnapped in Mali, fourth killed


(Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped three Westerners and killed a fourth in the historic northern Mali town of Timbuktu Friday, the second hostage-taking in the region in two days, Malian government and local sources said.

One government source and a local tourist guide identified the person who was killed as a German. The guide said two of those taken hostage were Dutch and one South African, though there was no official confirmation of their nationalities.

Thursday two French nationals were kidnapped from their hotel in the same remote desert region, where local agents for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb operate.

Mohamed Ag Hamalek, a local tourist guide contacted by telephone by Reuters, described Friday's abduction. "They were taking a stroll when the armed men forced them into four-wheel-drives, they shot the German dead on the spot because he tried to resist," he said.

Hamalek said the attackers sped off as security forces put up roadblocks and set off in pursuit.

"The whole town is in a state of shock, because that never happened here. Most of the people in Timbuktu live off the tourism ... but already that was getting scarcer. I reckon it is finished now," he said.

Timbuktu, founded a thousand years ago and famous as a major trading center for gold and salt, was one of the centers of a tourist sector that includes a famous festival of Malian music.

The increased risk of kidnappings, either by Islamists or by local gunmen cooperating with them, has made large tracts of Mauritania, Mali and Niger no-go areas for Westerners.

Western nations led by France and the United States are trying to improve regional cooperation, but their efforts have been undermined by a lack of resources, regional rivalries and a degree of local complicity.

There has been no claim of responsibility for either kidnapping. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it was behind the abduction last year of seven mine executives in neighboring Niger. Four of them remain in captivity, widely thought to be somewhere in northern Mali.

Doubts surfaced Friday over the identity of the two French nationals initially described as geologists who were kidnapped Thursday in the town of Hombori, close to the border with Burkina Faso.

France's Europe 1 radio said the two were known to French secret services. One, of Hungarian extraction, took part during the 1990s in the recruitment of Yugoslavian mercenaries to fight in then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The second was arrested in September 2003 in the Indian Ocean archipelago island Comoros for his part in an attempted coup d'etat, it said.

The French Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report, saying only it was doing all it could for their release.

Kenyan Police Put Down Islamist Protest, Kill 5 Muslims

And once again, we see the filthy tenacles of Islam reach deeper and deeper into the continent of Africa as the country of Kenya has seen islamic protests against the holding of a terrorist cleric and today, the Kenyan police had enough and let loose with suppressive fire and killed 5 of the islamists.

From the article at Times Online:

At least five people were killed in Nairobi when Kenyan police fired bullets and teargas at Muslims demanding the release of a radical Jamaican cleric.
Abdullah al-Faisal is on a global terror list and served four years in jail in Britain for inciting racial hatred before being deported. He has been in Kenyan custody since last week after the authorities failed in an attempt to deport him.

We have known for a long time how big a prize Africa is to the islamic terrorists with al Qaeda groups stretching across northern Africa in the countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, etc. and of course, the world was rocked by a Nigerian operative of al Qaeda who tried to bring down Northwest flight #253 - and now we see the ugly face of the islamists becoming more and more volatile in Kenya.

This wave of islamofascism, this horde of islamic jihadists continues to move across the globe like a huge swarm of locusts feeding on a grain field. I've said it before, there is not a single country in this world that has not been affected by the goal of the World Caliphate of islam. Not a one.

And as far as this killing of islamists in Nairobi today, one can only imagine what this will set off over the next week or so.

Five die as Nairobi police fire on protesters demanding Abdullah al-Faisal's release

At least five people were killed in Nairobi when Kenyan police fired bullets and teargas at Muslims demanding the release of a radical Jamaican cleric.
Abdullah al-Faisal is on a global terror list and served four years in jail in Britain for inciting racial hatred before being deported. He has been in Kenyan custody since last week after the authorities failed in an attempt to deport him.
“Five people have died, some of them have been shot and there are those with other injuries but we cannot really tell who shot them because some of the protesters were armed and were shooting at our officers,” said a police officer. Crowds of bystanders joined the clashes by throwing rocks at the Muslims.

Radical Islamic Terrorists In Nigeria Go On Killing Spree, 150 People Dead

The attack on Africa by al Qaeda continues to push southward as a radical islamic group in northern Nigeria, who has sworn allegiance to al Qaeda, went on a killing rampage yesterday and killed up to 150 people. We have seen the effects of al Qaeda across the northern tier of Africa in the countries of Somalia, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania and now, we see this push of the muslim horde southward...the best bet is that the continent of Africa will become a blood bath over the next 10 years as the islamists see the largely undefended region as ripe for the taking. Gotta admit that this "religion" of islam has one helluva conversion policy, eh?

Here's the story from Times Online:

Clashes with Islamists who claim to be Taleban kill 150 in Nigeria

Radical Islamists, who claim to be linked to al-Qaeda, have killed more than 150 people in two days of violence in northern Nigeria, news agencies reported.
Residents in the state of Borno said that Islamic militants, loyal to an anti-Western preacher, burnt a police station, a church and a customs office early yesterday.
The attacks came after clashes in the neighbouring, mainly Muslim states of Bauchi and Yobe on Sunday.
The heavily armed sect, which calls itself Taleban, emerged in Nigeria in 2004. Although, it has never been clear if it has proper links to the Taleban in Afghanistan its leaders profess allegiance to and admiration of Osama bin Laden.

“Five policemen have been killed, one police station burnt and 60 Talebans killed,” Ogbonna Onovo, an Inspector-General of the police, told reporters.
The fighting started in Bauchi when police hit back at militants after they attacked a police station at dawn. A gunbattle ensued and 39 people were killed.
There were further clashes in Yobe state, Mr Onovo said.