US study cites increasing armed militia in Sahel

Mauritania govt has lost control to armed militias and terrorist groups Nouakchott – Arabstoday A study prepared by the US defence ministry, the Pentagon, has warned of the establishment of an Islamic emirate in the Ozoad region, not far from Mauritania and Algeria. The study said that the number of Al Qaeda in the Isalmic Maghreb (AQIM) operatives in th region, described as “armed Wahhabi” had increased from 300 and 500 fighters at the end of 2010, to more that 6000 armed, equipped and well trained militants in 2012. This \"requires the intervention on the major powers in the Sahel\", said the study.
The authors of the research also predicted that Salafist groups would initiate an alliance, declaring an Islamic emirate similar to that of the Taliban, where the return of thousands of Altoarv fighters from Libya with their weapons had contributed in the increase in militants who joined the al-Qaeda linked Ansar al-Dine.
The study discusses the dangers and security challenges in the Sahel and Sahara,  while saying AQIM militants were the most powerful and most trained, and were the only power that has what could be called a secret security \"intelligence\", similar to other intelligence agencies established by al-Qaeda Leader Abu Zubayda under slain head Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda operatives have doubled to over 1000, from Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya in addition to members of extremist Islamist movements in other countries.
The study, issued at the end of June, warned about the competition between Qaeda and the Oneness and Jihad group (Tawhid and Jihad) in West Africa, and that despite is relative inexperience it still adopted the al-Qaeda approach (suicide attackes in Algeria and Morocco, Mauritania and taking hostages). It has also expanded its targets to include the interests of the Western countries as investments and nationals.
The study pointed out that the Ozoad region had become a real \"incubator\" for international militants, that might compete with Somalia and Yemen as it was closer to Europe, maritime trade routes in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. Also, the region has become a \"logistics base\" used as training camps and a shelter for extremist movements, raising fears of the region being used a launchpad for attacks on Europe.
The study said that the extremist Islamist groups in the region, which are al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Dine and Tawhid & Jihad were able to perform their activities because of the complicity and support of the local population.