A rebel group in Chad says it is holding one of North Africa's most powerful terrorists and wants to turn him over to the United States or any of its allies.
But negotiations to do so have bogged down over reluctance to offend the government of Chad by dealing with the rebels. "Everybody's kind of at an impasse," said a United States Department of Defense official familiar with the situation.
| Sell him to Mauretania, and we'll buy him from them. |
The Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad, which is fighting the military-backed government of President Idriss Déby, says that on March 16 it seized Amari Saifi, an Islamic militant with ties to Al Qaeda. The rebel group, known by its French initials M.D.J.T., said it had been trying since then to get someone to take Mr. Saifi off its hands, but that no country had been willing to enter rebel-held territory without the backing of the Chadian government. "They are procrastinating on purpose," Brahim Tchouma, the group's representative for external affairs, complained during an interview in Paris on Thursday. He said he had talked to the United States, Germany, France, Algeria and Niger in hopes of finding a solution.
| I've got about $20. Can I have just a piece of him? |
| $20 gets you a hand, though it's self-service. |
For years, Mr. Saifi has operated with impunity in a sparsely populated zone stretching from Mauritania to Chad, recruiting militants and buying weapons for his comrades in Algeria. He built a strong support network in the region, American military officials said, marrying the pre-pubescent 14-year-old daughter of a Mauritanian tribal sheik and buying loyalty from local officials in Mali. His presence in the region was one of the catalysts for an expanding American program to rally regional governments into a loose alliance to fight terrorism. As part of that effort, the United States tracked Mr. Saifi this year from Mali across Niger and into Chad, where he was attacked by Mr. Déby's forces. Mr. Saifi and more than a dozen other Salafist Group members escaped that attack, abandoning their vehicles, which reportedly held much of the German ransom money.
| I hadn't heard that part. I hope the rebels are using it for something worthwhile, like buying beer and renting hookers, instead of pissing it away on arms and ammunition... |
They fled on foot, and Mr. Tchouma said that within days an M.D.J.T. patrol had picked up Mr. Saifi and nine of his followers. The rebels later found seven more members of the group. A senior official of the rebel group named Muhammad Togou, reached by satellite phone, said the two groups of captives were being held in two different ravines in the mountainous Tibesti region of northern Chad. He said Mr. Saifi, his lieutenant, known as Bilal, and a third senior member of the group were being held separately under tighter security in a school building. Mr. Togou described Mr. Saifi as a large man, about 6 feet 3 inches tall with long, curly hair and a moderate beard.
He said Mr. Saifi was dressed in "Afghan clothing" and did not have any identification on him when he was caught. He said that he was carrying a satellite phone and an address book filled with names and telephone numbers, however, and that he eventually disclosed his identity.
| I'll borrow some money. I want that address book... |
Of the men captured with Mr. Saifi, four were Algerian and five were Nigerian, Mr. Togou said. The seven men captured later were all Algerian, he said. According to the rebels, one of the Algerians has identified himself as Abu Abdallah. That information raises the possibility that he could be a bombmaker of that name who was trained by Al Qaeda and is known as a follower of Mr. Saifi.
| Sorry. I can't afford him, too. You'll have to sell him to Charles or Dan... |
A senior United States Defense Department official said Thursday that the Chadian rebels' account was being taken seriously. "Everything we know, looking across the full spectrum of capabilities, gives us the belief that Al Para is still alive," the official said of Mr. Saifi. Western diplomats in Chad and Algeria also said the rebel group's claims were credible. The problem now is how to retrieve Mr. Saifi and his associates without risking lives or causing unnecessary diplomatic damage to the region's already delicate, multilateral counterterrorist cooperation.
| You can use my car, if you have to... |
American marines are expected to arrive in Chad within weeks to train government soldiers in counterterrorism techniques. Some diplomats said sending a team into rebel territory was dangerous because there was no guarantee that Mr. Saifi and the Chadian rebels were not working together to set an elaborate trap.
| Which diplomats? Admiral Akbar? |
Mr. Saifi has already shown that taking hostages can be lucrative. But the greater obstacle is dealing with the M.D.J.T. without the cooperation of Mr. Déby's government, which wants the West to regard the rebels as terrorists on par with the Salafist Group. The situation is all the more difficult because Chad has already made sacrifices in supporting America's campaign against terrorism: six of its soldiers died in the fighting with Mr. Saifi's group in March. "The guy has just done you a great favor, and now you're going to deal with his best enemy?" the Defense Department official asked, explaining one reason the rebels have had trouble finding a taker for their offer.
| See my idea about Mauretania, above. That's why God made third parties... |
Various solutions have been proposed to break the stalemate, including suggestions that the rebel group leave Mr. Saifi and his associates secured some place in the desert where the Chadian military or forces from a neighboring country could pick them up. But the group is reluctant to give away its prize without some political, if not material, gain. "They're looking for a quid pro quo," the Defense Department official said. "It's somewhat of a Sahara version of eBay."
| Maybe you could give them something a little less fungible than cash? How about a new car? |
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