Terrorist Sanctuary in The Sahara

Sanctuary is a concept not encompassed in military doctrine or government policy, yet denying sanctuary has become the cornerstone of American counterterrorism efforts abroad and a pillar of U.S. defense strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Guido's probing inquiry, exhaustive research, and innovative analysis on terrorist sanctuary in the Saharan Desert provides critical insights into this understudied idea underpinning so much contemporary defense policy. History demonstrates the U.S. Army is no stranger to denying sanctuary. The recent surrender of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, ending a conflict lasting more than 50 years, reveals that terrorists and criminals using sanctuary can be defeated. Unfortunately, U.S. efforts to deny terrorist sanctuary in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya have fallen short. Through a detailed case study of a group of al-Qaeda terrorists who found sanctuary in the Saharan deserts of Northern Mali...