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Maghreb Al-Qaeda threatens Chinese workers to avenge Uighurs
Al-Qaedas North African wing vowed to avenge the deaths of Muslim Uighurs in Chinas Xinjiang province by targeting Chinese workers in Algeria, a risk analysis company said in a report. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it will target the 50,000 Chinese workers in Algeria and Chinese nationals and projects across northwestern Africa, said Stirling Assynt, which has offices in London and Hong Kong. This threat should be taken seriously, the company said, adding that three weeks ago the Islamist group ambushed a convoy of Algerian security forces protecting Chinese engineers, killing 24 Algerians. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which wants to impose an Islamic state in Algeria, was founded in the mid-1990s. It pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2003. It is the first militant group to formally react to the violence in Xinjiang province, Stirling Assynt said. The company said there had been an increase in chatter on the Internet among so-called jihadists, or militants engaged in a holy war, about the need for action to avenge the perceived injustices in Xinjiang. Some of these individuals have been actively seeking information on Chinas interests in the Muslim world which they could use for targeting purposes, Stirling Assynt said, adding locations included North Africa, Sudan, Pakistan and Yemen. Other militant groups may make similar threats and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula could well target Chinese projects in Yemen, according to the report. Posted by: ryuge 2009-07-14 |
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