AQIM exploits Libya crisis to smuggle weapons: Messahel

Algeria believes the chaos inside Libya and the large quantities of weapons circulating there is being exploited by al Qaeda's North African branch, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), according to delegate minister for Africa and Maghreb Affairs Abdelkader Messahel.

• “Libya is now a huge depot of arms…and we know that sophisticated weapons have been transferred from Libya to northern Mali,” Abdelkader Messahel told reporters.
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• He added that Algeria, “a pivotal state” in the region, was ready to lead the fight against AQIM and added that a meeting will be held in September in Algiers to discuss the issue.
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• A senior Algerian security source told Reuters convoys of pick-up trucks carrying weapons had been crossing the border from Libya to Niger, and from there to northern Mali where AQIM has bases in the desert.