FEARS have been raised that a new front against al Qaeda is opening up just as the allied mission thousands of miles away in Afghanistan is drawing to an end.
Yet the public appetite to get involved militarily in yet another campaign against terrorism might he hard to muster.
Yesterday, William Hague backed the French military action against al Qaeda-backed rebels in Mali but the Foreign Secretary also cautioned against wider Western military intervention. "The primary way of operating has to be through the countries of the region. That has to be the only way to enjoy the greatest possible legitimacy, to bring about a political solution," he said.
Douglas Alexander, his Labour shadow, said it was a "time for caution and for cool heads" within Western governments in judging how to respond to the security challenges faced in north and west Africa.
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