Rukmini Callimachi, the Associated Press

$0.60 For Cake: Al-Qaida Records Every Expense

Clues from Al-Quaida’s “meticulous bookkeeping techniques” point to a highly-structured multinational organization.

Rukmini Callimachi, the Associated Press
By Rukmini Callimachi, the Associated Press

 TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — The convoy of cars bearing the black al-Qaida flag came at high speed, and the manager of the modest grocery store thought he was about to get robbed. Mohamed Djitteye rushed to lock his till and cowered behind the counter. He was dumbfounded when instead, the al-Qaida commander gently opened the grocery's glass door and

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AP Reporter’s Quest To Find Bodies Ends In Desert

After French troops drove extremists out of Timbuktu in January, the Malian army returned, eager to settle scores.

Rukmini Callimachi, the Associated Press
By Rukmini Callimachi, the Associated Press

TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — Across the desert, the wind combs the sand into smooth ripples that roll out evenly for miles. So when a hole is dug, you see it immediately. The sand looks agitated. Its pattern is disturbed. That's how you know where the bodies are buried. Close to three dozen people in northern Mali disappeared earlier this year,

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