Context
America is shifting its focus to Africa on its Al Qaeda hunt after success in FATA, Pakistan. Speaking to the military personnel during his visit to Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, US Secretary of Defense described Yemen and Somalia as key nodes. More than 3,000 US soldiers are placed in Djibouti, a former French colony. Djibouti has a strategic location; it borders Somali, Ethiopia and Eretria and is situated across the Red Sea from Yemen. He declared Djibouti as the central location for counterterrorism efforts. American drones are launched from Djibouti against al Qaeda operatives in the region.
Al-Qaeda’s African off-shoots al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have become active in their ambitions. He vowed that US will track these guys wherever they go. He said there has been spate of questions regarding their financial capability to launch a massive attack against America. Even though, there is no solid evidence, but he believes, efforts are underway.
