Large swathes of Somalia are already under the control of al-Shabaab, a Somali al-Qaeda affiliate. (Reuters)

ALGEIRS, Algeria  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought Algeria’s assistance on Monday for any future military intervention in Mali, pressing the North African nation to provide intelligence – if not boots on the ground – to help rout the al-Qaida-linked militants across its southern border.

Clinton, on the first stop of a five-day trip overseas, met with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as the United States and its allies ramped up preparations to fight northern Mali’s breakaway Islamist republic.

When Mali’s democratically elected leader was ousted in a military coup in March [due to his handling of a Tuareg rebellion in which the Tuaregs fought for independence], Tuareg rebels seized on the power vacuum and within weeks took control of the north, aided by an Islamist faction. The Islamists then quickly ousted the Tuaregs and took control of half the country.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved the idea of an African-led military force to help the Malian army oust Islamic militants, but its details are still unclear. [U.N. Security Council powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action. There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) and ten elected members with two-year terms.]

One plan would see Mali’s embattled government in the south and its West African neighbors taking the military lead to battle with the militants, with the United States and European countries in support.

Any military intervention would likely require Algeria, whose reforms have headed off the Arab Spring tumult experienced by neighbors such as Libya and Tunisia and left it with the strongest military and best intelligence in the region.

Clinton said she and Bouteflika spoke at length about Mali, with the Algerian leader appearing to caution against any rash action.

‘‘I very much appreciated the president’s analysis based on his long experience as to the many complicated factors that have to be addressed to deal with the internal insecurity in Mali and the terrorist and drug trafficking threat that is posed to the region and beyond,’’ Clinton told reporters.

She said they agreed to continue discussions with the U.N. and African nations ‘‘to determine the most effective approaches that we should be taking.’’

Mauritania, Mali and Niger have seen a steady escalation of al-Qaeda activity targeting Western aid workers and experts. Somalia, to their east, has disintegrated in the face of Islamist assault. In Yemen, across the Red Sea from Somalia, security forces have been waging a losing battle against resurgent jihadist armies that have claimed the lives of dozens of troops.

Amadou Marou, the President of Niger’s National Consultative Council has been in Europe with a grim message for governments. “Somalia got away from us”, he said, “and northern Mali is in the process of getting away from us”.

Mohamed Abdillahi Mohamed, Somalia’s new Prime Minister, has also called on the US and Europe to “step up to the plate”. Aid to Somalia, he said, “is not an option, it’s a necessity. We are dealing with al-Shabaab, who are extremists and seeking to take their war throughout the world”.

Al-Qaeda’s regional affiliates have expanded dramatically throughout this belt of states, exploiting the administrative weaknesses and corruption of their governments.

Large swathes of Somalia are already under the control of al-Shabaab, a Somali al-Qaeda affiliate, which is known to have hundreds of US and UK citizens among its ranks. Western intelligence services say they have evidence that those recruits are preparing for attacks on the West.

The comments were made by India’s…rural development minister, Jairam Ramesh, who recently angered Hindus by pointing out there were more temples than [bathrooms] for the country’s 1.2 billion people.

In a speech to villagers in Rajasthan, he said it wasn’t enough for families to check astrological charts to decide if a young man is suitable, they should also inspect his closet.

“You consult astrologers about rahu-ketu (the alignment of sun and moon) before getting married. You should also look whether there is a toilet in your groom’s home before you decide – don’t get married in a house where there is no toilet,” he warned.

His comments are part of a series of speeches and plans to increase the number of indoor bathrooms in a country where more have a cell phone than a bathroom.

More than 900 million – 75 per cent of the population – has a cell phone subscription in India, while only half of its households have a bathroom, according to last year’s census. Only 11 per cent of homes have a bathroom connected to the sewerage system.

Al Qaeda imposes Islamic Sharia law on Mali:

• Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Corinne Dufka reported at the end of September: "The Islamist armed groups have become increasingly repressive as they have tightened their grip over northern Mali.  Stonings, amputations and floggings have become the order of the day in an apparent attempt to force the local population to accept their world view."
• The Islamists' efforts to impose Sharia law has also extended to banning ring tones on mobile phones that are not Koranic verse readings, as well as prohibiting cigarettes and alcohol.
• Women who wear jewelery or perfume, or fail to cover their heads can also face punishment, Human Rights Watch said in its report on Sept. 25.
• Human Rights Watch said it had documented at least eight amputations since the radical Islamists seized power earlier this year in the north of Mali, a predominantly moderate Muslim country in western Africa. Other elderly residents collapsed after being flogged as punishment, the group said.

World reaction to al Qaeda takeover in Mali: NOTE: The Maghreb is usually defined as much or most of the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt.

Washington [wants] to eliminate northern Mali as a haven for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which may have been involved in September’s attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi. Mali even came up in the U.S. election campaign, with Republican challenger Mitt Romney citing the African nation’s instability in a foreign policy debate with President Barack Obama.  As further evidence of the U.S. intensifying its diplomatic work in Mali, Maria Otero, an undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, was to travel to Mali on Monday. She is the highest-ranking Obama administration official to visit since the coup. She'll meet with Mali’s prime minister, human rights activists and internal refugees.

The 15-nation West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, has discussed sending 3,000 troops to help oust the Islamist militants from the north. Many, though, question how Mali’s weak military could take the lead on such an intervention and analysts believe more ECOWAS soldiers would be needed to take and hold the France-sized desert area now controlled by the militants.  While the U.S. wants to see the rebels routed, it has no interest in active involvement in the military mission, unless Mali and West African states explicitly ask for such assistance, a senior American diplomat in Africa said. The official demanded anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. (from the boston.com article)