Growing concern over jihadist ‘safe haven’ in eastern Libya
By Nic Robertson, Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister, CNN
Diplomats and other observers in Libya say that with elections one month away, the National Transitional Council is struggling to exert control over various militia prominent in the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi. The situation is further complicated by tribal rivalries and a growing presence of Islamist militants in some areas.
One source briefed by Western intelligence officials says of particular concern is the city of Derna on the Mediterranean coast some 160 miles (300 kilometers) west of the Egyptian border. The source tells CNN that hundreds of Islamist militants are present in and around the town, and there are camps where weapons and physical training are provided to militants. He said one official had described the area as "a disaster zone."
Tensions have grown between local people and the militants. Last month, a number of Derna residents went to a camp on the outskirts of the city, according to the source, and forced militants to leave.
How al Qaeda builds a bomb
CNN gives viewers a firsthand look at how a terrorist mastermind builds two bombs. Nic Robertson reports. This report is based on a one-year investigation by CNN into air cargo security in light of a thwarted plot by al Qaeda in October 2010 to blow up cargo jets over the United States. "Deadly Cargo" airs on CNN Presents, Saturday and Sunday February 18, 19 at 8 p.m. ET.
Al Qaeda advances in Yemen's hidden war
By Nic Robertson, CNN senior international correspondent
Outside al Naqib hospital empty gurneys sit where cars normally park. Al Qaeda’s foot soldiers are less than an hour's drive away. Soon the wounded will arrive.
They are likely to be children, women and old men, caught in the crossfire between government forces and Islamist militants closing in on the city of Aden, the second largest in Yemen.
Like dozens before them, the new casualties will be lifted gingerly from shabby cars, laid flat on the waiting trolleys, rushed to surgery.
With medical students helping them, doctors new to injuries caused by explosives, tank shells, bombs and bullets will struggle to staunch the flow of blood, reconstruct fragmented bones, console the inconsolable.
It’s the waiting in this war that hurts the most. FULL POST
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