'The new Afghanistan'? West turns its attention to Mali

[NewsCaster]

Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty ImagesArmed Islamists gather on Sept. 21 in Gao, the biggest city in northern Mali, which is now under the control of armed Islamist groups.By Rohit Kachroo, NBC NewsBy mentioning the West African state of Mali during Monday night’s presidential debate, former Gov. Mitt Romney was attempting to show that under President Barack Obama, al-Qaida has been able to flourish. While the death of Osama bin Laden and the thwarting of several major terrorist plots suggest that al-Qaida's strength is diminishing, the insurgency in Mali indicates that at least one franchise of the terror network has been able to grow stronger.

Follow @NBCNewsWorld Mali Islamists bulldoze more tombs in Timbuktu

For many years, the landlocked state rarely bothered the international community. Its growing economy and relative social stability made it an example to some neighboring countries.

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[KingFemzee]

They need to focus on Mali before the situation gets out of hand.