A Middle East/North Africa expert says the world should be concerned with what's going on in Mali.

Listen:

IU Professor Dr. Jamsheed Choksy says the North African country could become the next Afghanistan.  Dr. Choksy says the problems lie in Timbuktu with a group called the Tuareg, who are legendary traders, but have recently been mercenaries. Choksy says when Gaddafi fell in Libya the Tuareg got most of the heavy weapons, such as mortars, rpg's and anti-aircraft weaponry.

He says the Tuareg have always wanted their own nation and now Al Qaeda has aligned themselves with the Tuareg's independence movement. He says Al Qaeda operatives have demolished many old muslim shrines in the hopes of ultimately creating what they failed to in Afghanistan.