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Why would Hezbollah want to carry out an attack in West Africa?
By Nir Kalron
Tags: israel, west africa 

The security establishment's report of a real possibility that Israelis could be targets for kidnapping in West Africa is no surprise to those who live in the region.

But why would an organization like Hezbollah, with agents in Europe, North America, Asia and South America - areas with significant targets in terms of Israeli citizens and government institutions - want to carry out an attack in West Africa?

One reason is the large population of Lebanese Shi'ites who left their country during the civil war in the 1970s. They deal in trade, communications, minerals and other fields. Ironically, so do many of the Israelis in the region, which means people from both groups may meet up in the business world.
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Terror may also make inroads in the region due to contempt by the local authorities for the trade in illegal weapons or drugs, money laundering and the presence of World Jihad. This is due to a lack of intelligence-gathering abilities and technology and a culture of bribes. The fact that many of the people in the region are Muslims may mean they identify with their cousins elsewhere.

Israel has diplomatic missions in Dakar, Abidjan in Ivory Coast, and Nouakshott, Mauritania, among other places. The latter city is where Ambassador Boaz Bismuth is stationed, whose house compound was attacked a few months ago, apparently by World Jihad operatives.

Local governments understand that in the security relationship with Israel it is best to be on the Western side. The wind blows toward Washington, and special forces of the CIA and military forces can be seen in nightclubs and local airports, to gather intelligence and train local forces on police work. Hezbollah will continue to base itself in West Africa because of the disorder there and ease with which it can traffic weapons, passports and other logistics needed for terror.

The West and leading intelligence services seem to be aware of the problem. As attested by the most recent warning, terror cells are not immune to penetration.

The warning must be taken seriously by business people in the area, at least for the time being.

The writer is a veteran of an elite army unit and a security expert on Africa.

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