Breaking News - Mali, Algeria violence raises fresh fear of radical Islam

[NewsCaster]

By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC NewsThe hostage crisis in Algeria at a gas plant in the Sahara desert amplified tensions in the region since France sent troops into neighboring Mali on Jan.11, as part of an offensive against rebels linked to al-Qaida in that country.

But while the hostage situation at a facility near In Amenas may have come to its conclusion, the conflict in Mali continues to grip the landlocked West African country that gained its independence from France in 1960.

One may not think of Mali as a country that would spur concern in the United States, but northern Mali, an area about the size of France or twice the size of Colorado, is controlled by a Tuareg militia, Ansar al-Din, and its terrorist group allies, including al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. AQIM is al-Qaida’s North African wing and emerged in Algeria. These groups want to impose Islamic law across Mali.



NBCNews