HOW NOT TO DEAL WITH TERRORISTS

For, well, decades, US policy has been "no negotiating with terrorists." Here's why: in a front page article on the way the US is working with several North African countries to combat terrorism comes this gem:

A terrorist leader named Ammari Saifi, also known as Abderrezak al-Para because he was trained as an Algerian Special Forces paratrooper, took 32 European tourists hostage near the Libyan border and transported some of them to northern Mali.

To free the hostages, United States military officials say, Germany paid him a ransom of nearly $6 million — equivalent to a quarter of Niger's defense budget — making him instantly one of the most powerful Islamic militants in North Africa.

He is a leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, or G.S.P.C., which was formed in 1998 and has many links with Al Qaeda.

Earlier this year, Mr. Saifi went on a shopping spree in northern Mali, gathering weapons, vehicles and recruits while American and Algerian intelligence monitored him with growing alarm. In February, Algerian forces intercepted a convoy carrying weapons north from Mali. Algerian officials say the cargo contained mortar launchers, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and surface-to-air missiles. (My emph.)

What the Times doesn't mention is that the GSPC are bloody minded killers. The body count had been ratcheting down over the past few years. But given this shopping list, you have to wonder if that wasn't because they were out of supplies.

One way or the other, these weapons won't be going anywhere where they'll be doing the West any good.

Thanks, Germany.