Our AFRICOM commander is worried about Tunisia:
Gen. Carter Ham told Tunisian radio late Tuesday that “it is very clear to me that al-Qaida intends to establish a presence in Tunisia.”
Fair enough. Jihadis are dangerous people. We should worry about them.
But remember that intention is not the same as achieving. And Tunisia isn't the most desirable place for a sanctuary. It is neither radical enough nor remote enough to be very useful for the jihadis as a base to project power. All al Qaeda's presence will do is remind another country of Moslems of why al Qaeda is a murderous bunch of thugs who will kill fellow Moslems as happily as they'll kill Infidels.
But when you get chased from sanctuary after sanctuary (Afghanistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Mali, to date), you can't be too choosy. Remember, in late 1942 the Axis established quite a presence in Tunisia when they had little presence prior to that. But that was their last stand in Africa rather than being a new offensive to defeat the Allies.
Jihadis are flexible. They'll be murderous thugs wherever they can find a little space and easy targets. We must remain flexible in going after them. So worry about them. Just don't forget to go after them to make more good jihadis.
