A (formerly) whiskey-swilling Tuareg independence militant who fought for Gadhafi in Libya before starting the world-famous rock band Tinariwen ended up embracing Islamism after meeting with Pakistani preachers in Mali and now leads West Africa’s most fearsome al Qaeda franchise. 

His ex-bandmates, meanwhile, are on tour in the U.S.  

https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/iyad-ag-ghali-al-qaeda-leader-west-africa-85afbca0?st=jTKCJp&reflink=article_copyURL_share

wow, what a wild journey! from rockstar to radical leader... life takes some unpredictable turns. hope the band is doing well on tour! 🎸🤘

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