The dominating geographical feature of northwest Africa is the vast Sahara Desert. It is in this region that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) exports terror to Europe and other destinations around the world.1 The U.S. Director of National Intelligence assess AQIM to represent a "significant threat to the US and European interests in the region."2 "Geographical, political, and historical factors combine to make northwest Africa a more hospitable environment for Islamist terrorists."3 Characterized by porous borders and nomadic groups the Sahara makes it extremely difficult for the U.S. military and local forces, working in the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, to track the flow of people and material across the region?€Ÿs borders. With its vast size, the Sahara provides an excellent base for terrorists and hinders effective policing and counter-terrorism efforts along the border regions of Algeria, Mali, and Niger. However, it is not as formidable an obstacle if viewed from a historical perspective that focuses effort along ancient caravan routes across the desert--thereby significantly reducing the area required to be policed. Even with the advent of trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles, terrain restrictions and oases locations still determine the few routes that cross the desert just as they have done for centuries.