ARTICLE: “A Ragtag Insurgency Gains a Qaeda Lifeline,” by Souad Mehkhennet, Michael Moss, Eric Schmitt, Elaine Sciolino and Margot Williams, New York Times, 1 July 2008.

Do I expect al Qaeda to get big in Africa, either north or sub-Saharan?

No.

But I do expect them to try as they lose popularity in the Middle East.

This story is about Algeria:

Today, as Islamist violence wanes in some parts of the worth, the Algerian militants—renamed Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb—have grown into one of the most potent Osama bin Laden affiliates, reinvigorated with fresh recruits and a zeal for Western targets.

Thus the long-term utility of AFRICOM.