London | Nov 28

USA TODAY - Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague says there is a risk mercenary fighters driven out of Libya could switch allegiance to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Hague told the House of Commons on Monday that Britain is also concerned that weapons from unguarded stockpiles in Libya may have fallen into AQIM hands following dictator Moammar Gadhafi's fall.

He warned that the al-Qaeda affiliate had established ties to Boko Haram, the Nigeria-based extremist group waging a bloody sectarian fight against the African nation's weak central government.

Hague said there was an escalating threat across the entire Sahel region, which stretches from Mauritania to Chad.

Britain is "stepping up our efforts to counter terrorism in the Sahel," Hague said.

Thank God Africom is there!...