Is a new strategy needed to fight armed groups in the Sahel?

 

Mali pulls out of the regional G5 Sahel force, blaming a lack of progress and disagreements.

A founding member of a multinational West African security alliance is pulling out.

Mali is withdrawing from the G5 Sahel joint force fighting armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.

The Billion Dollar Criminal

Altaf Khanani is a wanted man. He leads a syndicate that launders billions of dollars for the world's biggest drug cartels and armed groups, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

He has evaded authorities for decades.

"The network that he built on six different continents created an air about him that he was an untouchable," says Robert Cassita, a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

"I always kind of liken him to a James Bond villain."

Taliban Oil

The little-known story of secret negotiations between the Taliban and the US to build a pipeline through Afghanistan.

In 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan marked the end of a violent occupation that had started almost 10 years earlier. The Soviet invasion, which had resulted in a protracted war for independence, fragmented the country and changed the political landscape forever.

The sudden power vacuum of the post-Soviet era resulted in an upsurge of fighting as armed factions began to push for more territory.

In the North, people gathered around the Northern Alliance and its leader Ahmed Shah Masood, who was known as the "Lion of Pansjer".

How Islamist militant groups are gaining strength in Africa

Islamist terrorist groups have found a new home and it's not in the Middle East -- it's in Africa. Specifically, the Sahel, a band of territory in West Africa between the Sahara desert and the savannah. Since the early 2000s, Islamist extremist groups have increasingly strengthened their base here -- training fighters, raising money, and launching a massive number of attacks. Some are linked to al-Qaeda and other Islamic State. This is throwing these already weak countries into crises and making the region one of the most dangerous in the world.

Taliban Oil

The little-known story of secret negotiations between the Taliban and the US to build a pipeline through Afghanistan.

In 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan marked the end of a violent occupation that had started almost 10 years earlier. The Soviet invasion, which had resulted in a protracted war for independence, fragmented the country and changed the political landscape forever.

The sudden power vacuum of the post-Soviet era resulted in an upsurge of fighting as armed factions began to push for more territory.

In the North, people gathered around the Northern Alliance and its leader Ahmed Shah Masood - who was known as the "Lion of Pansjer". 

Taliban Oil (Video)

The little-known story of secret negotiations between the Taliban and the US to a build a pipeline through Afghanistan.

In 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan marked the end of a violent occupation that had started almost 10 years earlier. The Soviet invasion, which had resulted in a protracted war for independence, fragmented the country and changed the political landscape forever.

The sudden power vacuum of the post-Soviet era resulted in an upsurge of fighting as armed factions began to push for more territory.

In the North, people gathered around the Northern Alliance and its leader Ahmed Shah Masood - who was known as the "Lion of Pansjer". 

By 1994, in the South and the East another movement began to assert itself in ethnic Pashtun areas. They called themselves the Taliban and were supported militarily by neighbouring Pakistan.

The future of al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda earned its reputation for large-scale attacks from September 11 to the Bali and US embassy bombings.

But in the years since the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant's barbarity and relentless march across Iraq and Syria have stolen the spotlight.

So does al-Qaeda face a fight to stay relevant? And is the lure of ISIL to blame?