Quake3World

Abidjan, Ivory Coast -- The U.S. government will spend $500 million over five years on an expanded program to secure a vast new front in its global war on terrorism -- the Sahara Desert.

But critics say the region is not a terrorist zone, as some senior U.S. military officers assert, and they warn that a heavy-handed military and social campaign that reinforces authoritarian regimes in North and West Africa could fuel radicalism where it scarcely exists.

**SNIP**

Keenan said U.S. intelligence about the Saharan region is sparse. In fact, the questions about intelligence extend to the actions and very existence of at-large Salafist second-in-command Abderrazek Lamari, alias "El Para," who is thought to be the mastermind of the 2003 hostage kidnapping. Keenan said contradictory Algerian intelligence reports and eyewitness testimonies suggest collusion between agents of Algeria's military intelligence services and the Salafist Group. The State Department declined to comment on the matter.

Aside from the 2003 kidnapping issue, U.S. and Algerian authorities have failed to present "indisputable verification of a single act of alleged terrorism in the Sahara," Keenan said. "Without the GSPC, the U.S. has no legitimacy for its presence in the region," he said, noting that a growing American strategic dependence on African oil has led the United States to bolster its presence in the region.

"African oil is of national strategic interest to us, and it will increase and become more important as we go forward,'' Walter Kansteiner, former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said as early as 2002. A report by the National Energy Policy Development Group anticipates that by 2015, West Africa will provide a quarter of the oil imported by the United States.

Nigeria is the fifth-largest source of U.S. oil imports. Algeria has at least 9 billion barrels of reserves, and Mauritania has begun offshore pumping that could make it Africa's No. 4 oil supplier by 2007.

Silkman, however, said cultivating security, not oil resources, is the prime objective of the trans-Sahara initiative. She said it is vital that other members of the international community get involved -- especially France, which has a broad military-diplomatic network in the region.

Canis wrote:Dude...sand is a threat to our national security. It's very dangerous stuff!

Big Kahuna Burger wrote:It's funny because nobody's going to do anything about it

farad wrote:...it's just getting started...Russia just nationalized all oil and gas producing companies...they also announced a 500% increase in natural gas that's being pumped to europe...hang on to your asses boys and in a couple of months tell me it's not about oil...global power is ALL about oil...

eepberries wrote:Why do you all hate America?

Dave wrote:... a population at odds with their leaders...