The Hill News

Why are US tax dollars being used to subsidize a recruiting ground in North Africa for al-Qaeda terrorists, drug traffickers, and mercenaries?

That’s a question US and international policymakers should ask after reading a new study by the International Center for Terrorism Studies (ICTS), which warns that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is extending its reach across North Africa and the Sahel and actively recruiting from the Polisario-run refugee camps near Tindouf in Algeria.

The report says these camps - which are supported by millions of dollars in U.S. and international relief aid - have become “a recruiting ground for terrorists, traffickers, and other criminal enterprises.” The study calls on the U.S. and international community to “prioritize permanent refugee resettlement in line with existing international protocols and agreements.”

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