The terrorist threat is strong across northern Africa, due to the conditions there which make it easy for them. It’s still lawless there in many regions with little government control or influence, so they have freedom of movement for both themselves and their resources. There is also a large pool of candidates from which to recruit who are looking for someone to offer them money and a purpose for their life (even if it is killing other people).
Just recently, British citizens were urged to leave the breakaway Somaliland region of Somalia because of a “specific threat” to Westerners, citing “Kidnapping for financial or political gain, motivated by criminality or terrorism, remains a threat throughout Somalia.”
Somalia has endured years of civil war, and Britain — along with the United States and a host of other countries — has long advised against all travel to the Horn of Africa nation.
The new warning was issued only days after Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada also urged their citizens in the Libyan city of Benghazi to evacuate in response to what was then described as an imminent threat to Westerners.
For more than 30 years, Steve was an intelligence community professional who traveled and lived throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central America. He now uses his experiences and formal training to help people overcome their reluctance to travel by giving them the solid, reliable information they can use to plan effectively, reduce risk, react to danger, and return home safe.