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Al-Qaeda Claims Kidnap of Algerian Envoy in Iraq
 Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility yesterday for the kidnap of the chief of the Algerian mission in Baghdad, stepping up pressure on the new government struggling to quell relentless guerrilla violence. âAlgeria rushed to obey the crusaders by sending its envoy to Iraq...did you not learn from the fate of the ambassador of the Egyptian tyrant?â asked the statement on an Islamist website frequently used by the group led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, Al-Qaedaâs leader in Iraq.Algerian mission chief Ali Belaroussi, 62, and attache Azzedine Belkadi, 47, were snatched by gunmen in Baghdad on Thursday near the north African countryâs mission. âA Foreign Ministry crisis cell is active and we are closely following the situation. But right now we have no comment (on Al-Qaedaâs statement),â Algeriaâs Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdelhamid Chebchoub said. The statement did not mention the kidnapping of the attache Belkadi. Posted by: Fred 2005-07-24 |
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