'Alarming' Burkina Faso unrest threatens west African stability; Islamism rising

[EmperorScorpious]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/07/alarming-burkina-faso-unrest-threatens-west-african-stability

The three coastal nations of Ghana, Togo and Benin were racing to “insulate or inoculate at-risk populations” to try to stop unrest, violence and criminality leaking through their northern borders, the head of Special Operations Command Africa said.

If militant groups linked with al-Qaida and Islamic State managed to establish a presence in those countries, they would have easier access to major west African ports, providing clearer trafficking routes for weapons and drugs.

Until recently, Nusrat al-Islam (JNIM), Ansarul Islam and Islamic State Greater Sahel (ISGS) were mostly confined to Mali, northern Burkina Faso and western Niger respectively, but they were fast gaining ground in Burkina Faso, mainly through exploiting anger with the government in the most impoverished regions.

[Zakk]

Unrelated note, that image header is fucking badass.

[Jessica Cannon]

Those are some honestly sexy AK's (not sure the variant) and to see PASGT style helmets still in use gets my Cold War jambles jomblin'.

[Black034]

Sweet blank firing adapters..