白宫秘密会议审查北非基地组织威胁

The White House has held a series of secret meetings in recent months to examine the threat posed by al-Qaeda’s franchise in North Africa and consider for the first time whether to prepare for unilateral strikes, 美国. 官员说，.

The deliberations reflect concern that al-Qaeda’s African affiliate has become more dangerous since gaining control of large pockets of territory in Mali and acquiring weapons from post-revolution Libya. The discussions predate the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. compounds in Libya but gained urgency after the assaults there were linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM.

美国. officials said the discussions have focused on ways to help regional militaries confront al-Qaeda but have also explored the possibility of direct U.S. intervention if the terrorist group continues unchecked.

“现在, 我们不是在适当的位置做这种事，,“一位资深美国. 反恐官员参与谈判. 其结果, 他说：, 官员已开始考虑应急, 其中的问题，“做我们或我们不”部署无人机.

该工作一直由白宫反恐顾问约翰·Ø. Brennan和涉及从美国中央情报局高级官员, 国务院和五角大楼. 同时, 在中美. 军事指挥官非洲纵横交错的地区在最近几个星期, 在毛里塔尼亚停止制作, 阿尔及利亚等国可能成为马里维和部队的一部分.

白宫官员拒绝就此发表评论.

军代. 卡特˚F. 火腿, 中美首席. 非洲司令部, 周五称，在访问摩洛哥期间，有“没有计划对美国. 在马里的直接军事干预“. 但他和其他人已经明确表示，美国准备通过其他国家支持反恐和维和行动.

此外, 在中美. 军方已经推出了一系列的秘密情报任务, 包括使用的民用飞机在撒哈拉沙漠进行侦察飞行和监控通信和干旱地区，南, 被称为萨赫勒.

中美的突发. 活动反映了长期以来被认为是较弱的基地组织分支的一个恐怖组织的重新评估. AQIM的前身是阿尔及利亚的叛乱. 它一直被称为主要是为当地的祸害, 利用绑架和其他犯罪，以支持其实行伊斯兰统治的努力.

这种观念在过去的一年发生了变化, largely because of the group’s ability to exploit regional political chaos. A coup in Mali divided the landlocked country, enabling AQIM and other insurgent movements to take control of cities in the northern part of the country, including Gao and Timbuktu.

同时, the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi in Libya triggered a migration of African mercenaries and their weapons back to countries where al-Qaeda elements are based. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the trend lines in stark terms at the United Nations last week.

With “increased freedom to maneuver, terrorists are seeking to extend their reach and their networks in multiple directions,“克林顿说. She said the United States was “stepping up our counterterrorism efforts” to combat what she described as “a threat to the entire region and to the world.”

美国. officials said they are reexamining AQIM’s potential in part to avoid earlier mistakes underestimating an al-Qaeda franchise based in Yemen.

The question looming over the White House discussions, a senior U.S. intelligence official said, 是: “Do you see AQIM being in the same place AQAP was five years ago?“

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen-based affiliate is known, was similarly discounted as a regional menace until it was linked to the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas in 2009.

这比去年的美国花了安装对也门组全面战役, 使用由中美操作的武装无人机. 联合特种作战司令部和中央情报局. 美国已经开展了 33 也门今年空袭, 根据独立估值. 即便如此, AQAP继续试图攻击, 包括航空炸弹阴谋在今年早些时候中断.

一些反恐专家表示担心，政府正在膨胀基地组织在北非的威胁. 虽然参与了美国的围攻少数AQIM战机. 在班加西设施, 利比亚, 上个月, 美国. 情报官员说，他们看到任何迹象表明恐怖袭击是由该组织指挥.

“AQIM一直不如行动方式多说话,“一位前高层表示，中美. 反恐官员在今年早些时候，直到跟踪谁组织. 该集团是多年的分析人士中已知的“基地组织最不佳的子公司。”

官员强调，任何决定已作出有关部署武装无人机或其他致命资产. 最近中美. 在非洲无人机基地横跨在埃塞俄比亚的非洲大陆, 和政府官员表示，他们将考虑单方面的罢工只能作为最后的手段.

现在, 该官员说，, 重点是在复制方面 在索马里的反恐公式. 美国曾进行情报活动有, 以及打击, 但主要依靠非洲部队的战斗被称为阿尔沙巴布的盖达组织挂钩的激进组织.

火腿, 在中美. 指挥官在非洲, 说，在马里, that task has been made more difficult by political instability and the failure to act earlier. The United States, the Malian government and other countries “missed an opportunity to deal with AQIM when they were weak,” Ham told reporters during a visit to Senegal in July.

He called AQIM the “best-funded, wealthiest” affiliate, thanks to its lucrative practice of kidnapping foreigners for ransom and its smuggling prowess.

The Pentagon has been prohibited from giving military aid or training to Mali in the aftermath of the March coup. The ban, imposed by the State Department, is unlikely to be lifted until a democratically elected government can be reinstated.

在此期间, the administration has been stepping up its military aid to Mali’s neighbors, 其中包括两个已处理难民和其他溢出效应，从那里的冲突.

七月, 国防部拨款 $6.9 万元的军用卡车, 制服和通讯设备的毛里塔尼亚. 它也同意给尼日尔 $11.6 mllion设备, 主要以两种塞斯纳飞机可用于监视和运送部队的形式.

就在同一个月, 关于 600 美国. 军队组织和领导的联合军事演习, 被称为西方雅阁 2012, 有几个西非国家, 包括塞内加尔, 布基纳法索, 几内亚和冈比亚. 法国军队也参加.

非洲司令部继续经营的侦察飞行 - 下 分类项目代号为溪沙 - 从中​​美. 特种作战部队基地在布基纳法索.

中美高层. officials said there was no American involvement in a reported June airstrike in northern Mali and that they still don’t know whether it occurred. Regional news organizations described a “mystery airstrike” that killed seven AQIM-aligned fighters traveling in a convoy of four vehicles.

Mali’s interim government has said that it would welcome a proposed peacekeeping force of about 3,300 troops from a 15-nation consortium known as the Economic Community of West African States.

来源: WP