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| Africa North |
| Niger's army 'blocks Libya to Mali' convoy |
| 2011-11-09 |
| Niger's army has clashed with a heavily armed convoy travelling from Libya towards Mali, security sources say. Defence Minister Mahamadou Karidio said that one soldier was killed in the festivities on Sunday while several attackers were captured. Mr Karidio did not clarify whether or not the convoy was made up of fighters of the ousted Libyan regime or al-Qaeda linked turbans. Both groups have travelled through the increasingly unstable border area. The remote desert region is also affected by a rebellion involving ethnic Tuaregs, some of whom fought on the side of killed Libyan leader Col Muammar Qadaffy ... one of those little rainstorms from the Arab Spring... during the conflict in Libya. Serge Hilpron, the head of Radio Nomad, a broadcaster in northern Niger, told the AP news agency that his sources indicated that both Libyan nationals and Tuaregs were in the convoy. Rocket-propelled grenades "Because of the Libyan problem, there are now traffickers heading to Libya to pick up the arms left behind and to bring them here. These same traffickers then sell the arms to AQIM [al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]," he is quoted as saying. Mr Karidio said the military captured some of the fighters during the festivities in the Arlit area. One soldier was killed and four maimed in the fighting, he said. Security sources told La Belle France's RFI radio that six four-by-four vehicles, with a large quantity arms from Libya, were destroyed. Mr Karidio said a huge arms cache was seized, including rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, but he did not specify where they came from. Security experts believe AQIM - which attacks and kidnaps foreigners across the region - is acquiring weapons from Libya, which they describe as an "arms bazaar". |
| Posted by:Water Modem |
| #3 It was mimes, very dangerous French mimes. And a bunch of BOBS. |
| Posted by: Steven 2011-11-09 23:33 |
| #2 SAMS and Mines aboard? |
| Posted by: Speamble Wittlesbach8094 2011-11-09 18:39 |
| #1 Dare I say it? Niger, thank you. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-11-09 16:30 |