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| Africa North | |
| Al Qaeda no longer worries Algeria, according to a U.S. report | |
| 2010-08-09 | |
[Ennahar] Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has no significant popular support and has no capacity to do harm to even worry the Algerian government.
"The success of Algerian counter-terrorism security services, combined with the rejection of terrorism expressed by the populations appear to have reduced the effectiveness of Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) during the past two years," we read in this report published before yesterday on the website of the State Department. It was during these two years just as the Algerian security services have decided to strengthen their workforce by hiring 100,000 new elements, between the gendarmes and police. The operation resulted in a greater security presence in most major urban centers, airports, structures and institutions and sensitive borders. "The initiative was effective in reducing the impact of terrorist incidents and has also demonstrated the determination of the Algerian Government for fight against terrorism," said the U.S. report. And as further evidence of such determination to uproot terrorism, the American document said that Algeria has hosted the meeting last August of Chiefs of militaryStaff of Mali, Libya, Mauritania and Niger . This key meeting of the Sahel countries, was in fact to develop a regional strategy against terrorism, and establish a regional center in Tamanrasset. Also on the list of positive points in the assets of Algeria in the fight against terrorism, the report mentions that ransoms: "On the international plan to condemn the payment of ransoms to terrorists." This is not a scoop media as saying that the security situation in Algeria has been marked by a decrease in the number of terrorist attacks. This, even though armed Islamists still rage against isolated populations. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), now Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) since he had formally pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in 2006, "has been driven to resort to kidnapping for ransom and operations developed against Westerners in the Sahel region, "reported the American document in his section reserved to terrorism in North Africa. "The anti-terrorism operations of the Algerian government, which included an increased security presence and the dismantling of several networks of support and recruitment, have diminished the ability of Al Qaeda to commit such attacks in major cities of Algeria ", says the State Department rejoicing that "there was no suicide after the month of March." Moreover, Ramadan 2009 was almost "silent". However, this period is deemed conducive to terrorist attacks and jihad. But Al Qaeda has not completely disappeared from the Algerian security landscape. AQIM has committed deadly attacks by resorting to ambushes and roadside bombs. "These operations are particularly common in the region of Kabylia, east of Algiers," wrote the report which reiterated in the sense that the year 2009 was punctuated by attacks. There are, in particular the attack on 9 March when two people were killed during the kamikaze attack against a communal guard post at Tadmait in Kabylia, 70 km east of Algiers. There was the attack on June 17, against a police vehicle accompanying the Chinese workers at a site near Bordj Bou Arreridj which killed 18 policemen. On October 22, 2009, terrorists killed seven people and wounded three elements of security accompanying the workers of a Canadian company. "The majority of these attacks occurred in remote areas," say the Americans who believed that "AQIM has no significant popular support and is not assessed as strong enough to destabilize the Algerian government". For the State Department, these attacks "seek first to discourage foreign investors to settle in Algeria." Stifled, cornered, Al Qaeda has no way to survive but to resort to acts of banditry as false roadblocks and kidnapping on isolated roads. "In addition to having to depend heavily on money from ransoms especially in the Sahel, Al Qaeda is also funded by smugglers and drug traffickers who swarm in the Sahel, the U.S report concludes : "The Algerian security forces must continually adapt to the changing tactics of AQIM and must admit that an organization that was essentially a local threat has become regional in scope and has international links." Internationally, the document of the State Department believes that Al Qaeda remains a threat. "The core of Al Qaeda in Pakistan is still the main terrorist threat to U.S. territory and the presence of Al Qaeda in Africa poses a challenge for many countries," said the State Department. The number of terrorist attacks worldwide and the number of victims in 2009 are at their lowest levels in four years. Extremists have conducted 10,999 attacks worldwide in 2009, killing 14,971 people, according to the report. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Versus To wit, IRNA > WEST WILL EVENTUALLY TALK TO TALIBAN [ + AL QAEDA?]: FORMER BLAI AID [Jonathan Powell]. US-WEST may likely follow Britain's historical example of firstly trying to wage War agz Enemies, then engage in Diplomacy + Negotiations, + lastly to recognize now former Enemies as de facto Statesmen = sovereign Nations??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-08-09 20:42 |