re: #286 Our Precious Bodily Fluids

I’m not really confident in the Algerian capability for ‘surgical strikes’, though. Especially considering that the US offered to assist with drones and specops troops but were refused. And considering that Algeria is essentially a military dictatorship, we’ll probably never know what actually happened, unless it’s by accident.

Edit / correction: UK offered specops forces, US offered drones.

See link.

The Algerians went thru 10+years of internal jihadist insurgency during the 1990s which *officially* caused 100,000 deaths. Double that figure is probably more correct.

The Algerian way of dealing with jihadist/bandits is; no quarter, no negotiations:

“you stir shit up.”
“we blow shit up, with no regard for collateral damage.”
“Your move”

That is why the bandit/jidadists were attempting to get the hostages out of Algeria, and into another country. And why the Algerian military attacked the convoy with no regard for collateral damage.

The Amenas bandit/jidadists were fighting experienced Algerian Armed Forces desert fighters who are filled with more fury and hatred for killing any attacking jihadist on Algerian soil, than the jidadists have in advancing their “grand design” of an Islamist calipate.

Algeria warned the West what would happen if Gaddafi was removed from power. Mali happened.

The West offered assistance re Amenas. Algeria said no. You screwed this up and we are going to fix it.

The best outcome of the Amenas situation would be for Algeria and other adjacent countries with experienced *desert* fighters to become involved in suppressing the Mali insurgency. With the West offering material support, but no overt involvement.