WORLD NEWS: "Islamic Rebels Gain Strength in the Sahara: Moving South from Algeria, al Qaeda-Affiliated Insurgents Find Support Among Locals in Mauritania, Mali and Niger," by Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal, 15-16 August 2009.

A vast desert where it's easy to hide. Deadly attacks from Tunisia to Mauritania to Mali and Niger. The original battleground in Algeria has expanded.

Why has Algeria proven such a stubborn issue? Vets of Algeria's civil war (began 18 years ago; 200k dead) have created a deep Saharan insurgency. It attracts the attention of Al Qaeda in its typical parasite fashion (it must feed on existing conflicts), and then outside recruits are sent, organization is built (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), and the spreading begins into neighboring countries. There is a concentrated effort to go south and attract new young Muslims to the cause, says an African specialist on AQIM. The financing comes from drug and people smuggling, plus the usual ransoming--the usual.