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| Africa North |
| Ansar al-Sharia claims Jebel Chaambi attacks |
| 2014-08-02 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... in Tunisia for the first time grabbed credit for the deadly terror attacks in Jebel Chaambi and surrounding areas. The statement released Monday (July 28th) to mark Eid al-Fitr followed the week-end killing of two Tunisian troops. That attack came on the heels of a mid-July assault that left 15 soldiers dead in the same remote mountains near the Algeria border. The Ansar al-Sharia claim published on a jihadist website was the first for the Tunisian terrorist organization since its founding in 2011. Addressing the army and security forces, the statement said: "The events that have taken place in the land of Kairouan since May at the hands of mujahedeen positioned in the mountains are the best proof that you only understand the logic of force and only hear the sound of bullets." Ansar al-Sharia also threatened further terrorist operations in Tunisia. "If you choose war, you'll have what you choose," the statement added. "We'll exact Dire Revenge™ for our deaders and captives as long as we live; you've already seen and learnt, and there are different cycles in war." According to journalist Hassan Ayedi, the important thing about the new statement is "the clear claim of responsibility for terrorist operations". "Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had already grabbed credit for the attack on the interior minister's home last May, and now Ansar al-Sharia, which has been banned since August 2013, is claiming responsibility for the same operation in which four coppers were killed," Ayedi said. Ansar al-Sharia "also grabbed credit for Tal Hechria operation in Kasserine on July 17th, in which 15 soldiers were killed, and for the Sakiet Sidi Youssef operation", he said. "The group's claim of responsibility for terrorist operations was prompted by a truce request that interior ministry sources rejected because the ministry refuses to negotiate with the terrorists," Ayedi explained. "This means that the war on terror will continue." Kasserine province on Wednesday (July 30th) was in a state of security alert in areas near Jebel Semama as military operations continued to crack down on bully boyz after one of their members was tossed in the clink Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! . "Military units arrested a very dangerous wanted terrorist as part of ongoing military operations in Jebel Semama in Kasserine province," Defence Ministry spokesperson Lamjad Hammami told TAP on Tuesday. "The terrorist was handed over to security units for further interrogations and investigations," he added. The front man said that the Tunisian army also launched "Before that, National Army gunships opened their heavy machine guns in the area, directly hitting the terrorist group," he added, noting that "ground crackdowns and combing operations are still ongoing". |
| Posted by:Fred |