The Two Canadians Who Were Part of Al Qaeda's Attack On the Algerian Gas Plant

Okay, for those of you who don't spend a ton of time here on the blogs and online but watch the Main Stream Media more for your news, how many of you had heard that two of the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the Algerian gas plant were actually CANADIANS?

See?  If you want the news that counts, you need to be here at Holger Awakens or the other fine blogs that actually tell you what is happening to western civilization.

This story comes from CBC News via The Religion of Peace.

Canadians in Algerian gas plant attack identified


CBC News has learned that two Canadians linked to al-Qaeda and killed while staging a bloody attack on an Algerian gas refinery earlier this year were former high school friends in their early 20s, one from a Greek Orthodox family, and both from a comfortable middle-class London, Ont., neighbourhood.

A special CBC News investigation has confirmed the two al-Qaeda linked militants were Xristos Katsiroubas, 22, and Ali Medlej, who was believed to be about 24 years old at the time of their deaths.

The attack by the two Canadians and 30 other militants linked to al-Qaeda left more than three dozen refinery workers dead, the final 10 of whom were reportedly tied to gas plant piping and killed in a massive bomb blast.

Sources say it is likely Katsiroubas and Medlej intentionally blew themselves up in the blast; one of them could be only identified by DNA testing.

The Harper government at first denied there was any evidence Canadians had been involved in the attack, and the RCMP have continued to keep the identities of the pair a tight secret.

Now sources tell CBC News there may have been more than just the duo.

Sources say at least two more former London schoolmates of Katsiroubas and Medlej also travelled overseas with them.

But it is not yet clear whether the others are still alive, nor if they were involved in the Algerian gas plant attack.

Police sources say Katsiroubas is the likely attacker whom survivors have described as blond-haired and speaking fluent "North American English."

Canada’s intelligence service is refusing to comment.

But CBC News has learned that as long ago as 2007, CSIS agents interviewed some family and friends of the two, who were then teenagers.

A former London friend of the two men said one of their relatives called the police, complaining they were "hanging around with weirdos."

He says a CSIS agent subsequently interviewed a number of their friends.
Not under surveillance

Intelligence sources say CSIS did not have the two men and their other friends under surveillance when they left Canada sometime last year on their ultimately bloody mission.

No one will ever know all the details of how and why two teenagers who seemed rather normal ended up committing such monstrous acts.

But the details that are emerging from former friends and associates suggest theirs is a story that is becoming frighteningly more common.

"Xris" Katsiroubas grew up in a home with a backyard swimming pool in a middle-class London neighbourhood with rich ethnic diversity.

He lived with his mother after his parents divorced, and by all accounts seemed normal.

One former friend recalls that in the early years, at least, "he was like all the other kids, very smart in school, quite active."

Katsiroubas appears to have had an older brother, and at least three large families of cousins.

One relative is quoted in a 2007 news article saying he travelled all the way across London to shop at his favorite Greek pastry shop.

Little is known about Ali Medlej; he appears to have gone through most of his schooling without even a mention in most of his school yearbooks.

But sources tell CBC News that he and Katsiroubas remained friends throughout their high school years together at London South Secondary.

Medlej appears to have graduated in 2006. The next year, Katsiroubas seems to have dropped out at the end of Grade 11.

A former friend says that at some point in those teenage years, Katsiroubas converted to Islam.

One former school acquaintance who ran into Katsiroubas in 2009 recalls "it was really hard to relate to him at that point. He wasn’t the same. He had other interests — kept saying let's go to the mosque.

"It wasn’t that he wanted to take me there. It was that he wanted to go there and he thought a couple of hours spent with me [catching up] was probably a waste of time."

Shortly after they left high school, Medlej and Katsiroubas and another friend travelled out West, did some odd jobs, and finally returned to London within six months.

Medlej apparently got married sometime after 2009.

The next time most of their former school friends heard about Medlej and Katsiroubas again was about two months ago after the attack on the Algerian gas plant.

CSIS agents were back asking questions again.

The agents never mentioned the two were dead, much less that they had participated in one of the most heinous attacks in recent years.

Investigators say many of the innocent gas plant workers who died in the attack were burned alive.

The Final Tally of the Algerian Al Qaeda Hostage Taking - 32 al Qaeda Killed, 23 Hostages Killed

 This image released on January 19, 2013 by the SITE Intelligence Group and credited to the ANI Mauritanian news agency shows Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri reportedly lead the hostage-taking operation at the BP oil facility in In Aménas, Algeria. — Photo by AFP

The fact that 23 hostages were killed in the hostage taking incident in Algeria is fairly mind boggling but when you consider that close to 800 foreign workers were freed is even more amazing.  But you can look at the stats and the tallies a hundred times over and miss the fact that al Qaeda and their ilk have once again proven that any time, anywhere, they can strike and impact the world.  Yes, Islamic terror is just as real as it was 10 years ago and al Qaeda is just as impacting - someone tell that to Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Biden.

The story comes from DAWN.

Algeria standoff ends: 32 militants and 23 hostages killed


ALGIERS: In a bloody finale, Algerian special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the Sahara desert on Saturday to end a standoff with Al Qaeda-linked gunmen that left at least 23 hostages dead and killed all 32 militants involved, the Algerian government said.

With few details emerging from the remote site in eastern Algeria, it was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final operation, but the number of hostages killed on Saturday , seven, was how many the militants had said that morning they still had.

The government described the toll as provisional and some foreigners remained unaccounted for.

The siege at Ain Amenas transfixed the world after extremists linked to Al Qaeda stormed the complex, which contained hundreds of plant workers from all over the world, then held them hostage surrounded by the Algerian military and its attack helicopters for four tense days that were punctuated with gun battles and dramatic tales of escape.

Algeria’s response to the crisis was typical of its history in confronting terrorists, favoring military action over negotiation, which caused an international outcry from countries worried about their citizens.

Algerian military forces twice assaulted the two areas where the hostages were being held with minimal apparent mediation, first on Thursday, then on Saturday.

“To avoid a bloody turn of events in response to the extreme danger of the situation, the army’s special forces launched an intervention with efficiency and professionalism to neutralise the terrorist groups that were first trying to flee with the hostages and then blow up the gas facilities,”

Algeria’s Interior Ministry said in a statement about the standoff.

Immediately after the assault, French President Francois Hollande gave his backing to Algeria’s tough tactics, saying they were “the most adapted response to the crisis.”

“There could be no negotiations” with terrorists, the French media quoted him as saying in the central French city of Tulle.

Hollande said the hostages were “shamefully murdered” by their captors, and he linked the event to France’s military operation against Al Qaeda-backed rebels in neighboring Mali.

“If there was any need to justify our action against terrorism, we would have here, again, an additional argument,” he said.

President Barack Obama said in a statement Saturday that the US stood ready to provide whatever assistance was needed in the wake of the attack.

“This attack is another reminder of the threat posed by Al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups in North Africa. In the coming days, we will remain in close touch with the Government of Algeria to gain a fuller understanding of what took place so that we can work together to prevent tragedies like this in the future,” the statement said.

In New York, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the militants’ terrorist attack and said all perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of such “reprehensible acts” must be brought to justice.

British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the deaths were “appalling and unacceptable and we must be clear that it is the terrorists who bear sole responsibility for it”.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said a total of six British nationals and one resident of the United Kingdom were either dead or unaccounted for.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan said he had received “severe information” about 10 of his country’s nationals who were still missing.

In the final assault, the remaining band of militants killed the hostages before 11 of them were in turn cut down by the special forces, Algeria’s state news agency said.

The military launched its Saturday assault to prevent a fire started by the extremists from engulfing the complex and blowing it up, the report added.

A total of 685 Algerian and 107 foreigner workers were freed over the course of the four-day standoff, the ministry statement said, adding that the group of militants that attacked the remote Saharan natural gas complex consisted of 32 men of various nationalities, including three Algerians and explosives experts.

The military also said it confiscated heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades attached to suicide belts.

Sonatrach, the Algerian state oil company running the Ain Amenas site along with BP and Norway’s Statoil, said the entire refinery had been mined with explosives, and that the process of clearing it out is now under way.

Algeria has fought its own extremist rebellion since the 1990s, elements of which later declared allegiance to Al Qaeda and then set up new groups in the poorly patrolled wastes of the Sahara along the borders of Niger, Mali, Algeria and Libya, where they flourished.

Seven Americans Held Hostage Now In Algeria By Al Qaeda Group, Part of the Group of 41 Captured During Raid On Gas Field

Before we get into the latest reminder of the threat to Americans across this world by al Qaeda, I wanted to remind everyone of a recent quote by Barack Hussein Obama:

"Now, four years ago, I made a few commitments to you. I told you I’d end the war in Iraq, and I did. I said I’d end the war in Afghanistan, and we are," said Obama. "I said we’d refocus on the people who actually attacked us on 9/11 -- and today, al Qaeda is on its heels and Osama bin Laden is no more."   Link

Now, that quote was from October of last year - two and half months ago, our fearless President, the king of foreign policy, the Benghazi wizard clearly stated that al Qaeda is "on its heels."  Yeah right.  Let's re-elect this genius, huh America?

Anyway, seven Americans are among 41 tonight that are looking down the gun barrels of al Qaeda jihadis in Algeria - the terrorist group has claimed responsibility according to The Long War Journal.

As for all of the details of the raid and such, the story comes from Reuters.

Dozens held after Islamists attack Algerian gas field


(Reuters) - Islamist militants attacked a gas field in Algeria on Wednesday, claiming to have kidnapped up to 41 foreigners including seven Americans in a dawn raid in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali, according to regional media reports.

The raiders were also reported to have killed three people, including a Briton and a French national.

An al Qaeda affiliated group said the raid had been carried out because of Algeria's decision to allow France to use its air space for attacks against Islamists in Mali, where French forces have been in action against al Qaeda-linked militants since last week.

The attack in southern Algeria also raised fears that the French action in Mali could prompt further Islamist revenge attacks on Western targets in Africa, where al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operates across borders in the Sahara desert, and in Europe.

AQIM said it had carried out Wednesday's raid on the In Amenas gas facility in OPEC member Algeria, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported.

The Algerian interior ministry said: "A terrorist group, heavily armed and using three vehicles, launched an attack this Wednesday at 5 a.m. against a Sonatrach base in Tigantourine, near In Amenas, about 100 km (60 miles) from the Algerian and Libyan border."

"The Algerian authorities will not respond to the demands of the terrorists and will not negotiate," Interior Minister Daho Ould Kablia was quoted as saying by official news agency APS.

The gas field is operated by a joint venture including BP, Norwegian oil firm Statoil and Algerian state company Sonatrach.

ARMED MEN

BP said armed men were still occupying facilities at the gas field, which produces 9 billion cubic meters of gas a year(160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day), more than a tenth of the country's overall gas output, and 60,000 barrels a day of condensate.

"The site was attacked and occupied by a group of unidentified armed people at about 0500 UK time. Contact with the site is extremely difficult, but we understand that armed individuals are still occupying the In Amenas operations site," it said.

A spokesman for BP said it usually had fewer than 20 people working at the site but would not be drawn on whether there were any talks with the hostage takers. He said: "Obviously we are doing everything we can to make sure our people are okay."

APS said a Briton and an Algerian security guard had been killed and seven people were injured. A French national was also killed in the attack, a local source said.

Also among those reported kidnapped by various sources were five Japanese nationals working for the Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp, a French national, an Austrian, an Irishman, and a number of Britons.

The U.S. State Department said it believed some U.S. citizens were also among the hostages, while Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said 13 employees of Statoil, a minority shareholder in the gas venture, were being held.

A member of an Islamist group styling itself the "Blood Battalion" was quoted by Mauritanian media as saying that five of the hostages were being held at the gas facility and 36 were in a housing area. APS said the Islamist raiders had freed Algerians working at the gas facility, though Regis Arnoux, head of French company CIS Catering, told JDD weekly newspaper that 150 Algerian employees of his company were being held at the site.

"The operation was in response to the blatant interference by Algeria and the opening of its air space to French aircraft to bomb northern Mali," the Islamist spokesman told Mauritania's ANI news agency.

ANI, which has regular direct contact with Islamists, said that fighters under the command of Mokhtar Belmokhtar were holding the foreigners.

Interior Minister Kablia also told APS that Belmokhtar was leading the group of about 20 individuals, whom he said were not from Mali, Libya or "any other neighboring state".

Belmokhtar, dubbed by French intelligence as "the uncatchable", for years commanded al Qaeda fighters in the Sahara before setting up his own armed Islamist group late last year after an apparent fallout with other militant leaders.

The Algerian army was in the area of the gas facility, according to French and Algerian sources.

ANI reported that the Islamists said they were surrounded by Algerian forces and warned that any attempt to free the hostages would lead to a "tragic end". One of the hostage takers told ANI that the perimeter of the site had been mined.

SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

The attack was the first time in years that Islamist militants are known to have launched an attack on an Algerian energy facility.

The attack could have implications for security across the whole of Algeria's energy sector, which supplies about a quarter of Europe's natural gas imports and exports millions of barrels of crude oil each year.

Such an attack would require a large and heavily armed insurgent force with a degree of freedom to move around, all elements that al Qaeda has not previously had.

However, the conflict in neighboring Libya in 2011 changed the balance of force. Security experts say al Qaeda was able to obtain arms, including heavy weapons, from the looted arsenals of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The five Japanese work for the engineering firm JGC Corporation, Jiji news agency reported, quoting company officials. JGC has a deal with Sonatrach-BP-Statoil Association for work in gas production at In Amenas.

A reporter for Japan's NHK television managed to call a JGC worker in Algeria.

The worker said he got a phone call from a colleague at the gas field. "It was around 6 a.m. this morning. He said that he had been hearing gunshots for about 20 minutes. I wasn't able to get through to him since."

French troops launched their first ground operation against Islamist rebels in Mali on Wednesday in an action to dislodge from a strategic town al Qaeda-linked fighters who have resisted six days of air strikes.

Algerian Muslim Father Butchers His 16 Yr Old Daughter For Having Celebrity Men Photos On Her Smartphone

I mean, really...wouldn't Mohammed be so damn proud of this Algerian father who sent his wife and other children away so he could be alone to confront his teen daughter and the fact that she had photos of movie stars and celebrities on her mobile phone...and confront her he did...with a knife and as the story from Emirates 24/7 puts it...."slaughtered her like a sheep."

Like a sheep. More like a lamb. A lamb brought to slaughter. For the honor of a pedophile and a moon god.

Dad kills daughter for having US actors on her mobile phone


An Algerian man used a kitchen knife to slaughter his 16-year-old daughter after discovering pictures of American and Turkish actors in her mobile phone.

The man, identified as B. Majeed, sent his second wife and her children to her family so he could be left alone with his teen age daughter, Lidya.

“After finding photographs of some American and Turkish actors in her mobile phone, the father decided to kill his daughter and made plans for the murder,” the Algerian Arabic language daily Al Nahar said.

“When he was alone with her at home, he grabbed her and put the knife on her neck…he then slaughtered her like a sheep.”

The paper said the man, who had Lidya from his first wife, then phoned the police and surrendered to them.

The Next Step In the Arab Spring....Algeria

I'm not exactly known for my predictions but it certainly seems pretty obvious that the next Islamic country earmarked for a revolution by the forces of the Arab Spring would be Algeria in northern Africa. We've seen the fall of other north African governments like Tunisia and now Libya and the Algerians have been in a huge battle against al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for quite some time...so it does seem logical.

At the same time, at this post at MEMRI, we now see one islamic leader calling outright for the fall of the Algerian government.

From the article:

On October 17, 2011, the Al-Qaeda media company Al-Sahab posted a 28-minute video message by Abu Yahya Al-Libi, titled "Algeria and the Battle of Patience." In the message, Al-Libi speaks about France's continued efforts to maintain its grip on Algeria, from its colonization of the country to date. He claims that it is the mujahideen in Algeria [i.e. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)] that are fighting for the welfare of their fellow Algerians in order to bring an end to France's control in the country, which he says is a proxy control via France's aides and co-conspirators operating in Algeria. Al-Libi urges Algerians to follow in the footsteps of the rebels in Libya and Tunisia, who were able to bring about a change in their country.

Now, the one thing we have to keep in mind with Algeria is the fact that the "rebels" in that country are definitely al Qaeda. These aren't some sort of tribe with a beef against the government or some group of citizens fed up with oppression....this is al Qaeda looking to take over a nation and set up shop literally as a recognized country of the world.

I'm tellin' ya....keep an eye on Algeria. This could very well be the bloodiest of the Arab Spring revolutions that we will see.

In New Video, Abu Yahya Al-Libi Urges Algerians To Join The Mujahideen In Fighting France's Helpers In Algeria And To Expel Their Corrupt Regime


On October 17, 2011, the Al-Qaeda media company Al-Sahab posted a 28-minute video message by Abu Yahya Al-Libi, titled "Algeria and the Battle of Patience." In the message, Al-Libi speaks about France's continued efforts to maintain its grip on Algeria, from its colonization of the country to date. He claims that it is the mujahideen in Algeria [i.e. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)] that are fighting for the welfare of their fellow Algerians in order to bring an end to France's control in the country, which he says is a proxy control via France's aides and co-conspirators operating in Algeria. Al-Libi urges Algerians to follow in the footsteps of the rebels in Libya and Tunisia, who were able to bring about a change in their country. He also urges AQIM to remain steadfast in its fight against the Algerian regime, while reminding the mujahideen that the branches of their jihad tree have spread past the Sahara and to Nigeria.

Al Qaeda Suicide Bombing Attack At Algerian Military Academy Kills 18

Of the 18 killed in today's suicide bombing by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, 16 of those were soldiers at the Algerian military academy that was targeted. And as we too often see, it took on the same old scenario of most al Qaeda style bombing attacks.

From the report at The Long War Journal:

Eight people, including including 16 soldiers, were killed today in a suicide attack on a military academy in Algeria.

The attack took place at a military academy in the town of Cherchell just as soldiers were breaking their Ramadan fast. It is unclear if one or two suicide bombers were used in the attack.

The first blast occurred outside the mess hall at Cherchell, according to AFP. As soldiers rushed out to aid those wounded, a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle detonated his explosives in the crowd of people, according to The Associated Press. Victims of the attack included 20 who were injured.

While no group has claimed credit for today's attack, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is suspected to have carried out the bombings. AQIM has previously claimed credit for executing several other suicide attacks in Algeria and in neighboring countries.

I believe that's a typo above...."eight" should be "eighteen." But as you can see, you have one explosion that takes out some of the soldiers and when the majority of the academy runs out to help, the second explosion goes off doing the bulk of the damage - al Qaeda's patented process of maximizing the kill ratio.

Suicide bombers kill 18 in attack on Algerian military academy


Eight people, including including 16 soldiers, were killed today in a suicide attack on a military academy in Algeria.

The attack took place at a military academy in the town of Cherchell just as soldiers were breaking their Ramadan fast. It is unclear if one or two suicide bombers were used in the attack.

The first blast occurred outside the mess hall at Cherchell, according to AFP. As soldiers rushed out to aid those wounded, a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle detonated his explosives in the crowd of people, according to The Associated Press. Victims of the attack included 20 who were injured.

While no group has claimed credit for today's attack, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is suspected to have carried out the bombings. AQIM has previously claimed credit for executing several other suicide attacks in Algeria and in neighboring countries.

AQIM has stepped up suicide attacks

Today's suicide attack is the third of its kind in Algeria this year, as well as the third since mid-July. On July 16, a pair of AQIM suicide bombers killed four people, including three policemen, in an attack on a headquarters in the Kabylie region, which serves as a safe haven for the terror group.

And on Aug. 14, an AQIM suicide bomber detonated his car bomb outside of a police station, wounding 29 people, including 11 policemen. The blast took place in Tizi-Ouzou, an area with a strong al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb presence. AQIM later took credit for the attack.

Prior to this summer, the last suicide attack reported in Algeria took place on July 25, 2010, when a suicide bomber attacked a security barracks in a village near Tizi Ouzou.

AQIM's three suicide attacks over the span of six weeks after nearly a one-year lull signals that the terror group is putting more emphasis on the terror tactic.

AQIM suicide attacks have tapered off since 2008. In 2010 there were two reported suicide attacks in the country; in 2009 there was just one such attack. In 2008, there were five suicide attacks, and in 2007, there were four such attacks. The most effective attacks took place in 2007 and 2008 [see list below]; during those years, suicide bombers targeted the prime minister's office, Interpol, the United Nations, and Algerian Special Police headquarters in Algiers.

In the vast majority of the attacks (14 of 15 attacks) from 2007-2011, the targets were the police or military. The exception is the Dec. 11, 2007 strike that targeted the UN offices and a court building in Algiers.

Since 2008, AQIM has shifted its tactics from high-profile suicide bombings to ambushes against security forces as well as kidnapping operations, which are reported to net the terror group millions of dollars a year.

The formation of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in 2006 was the result of al Qaeda's efforts to unite the various Salafist terror groups in North Africa. AQIM is comprised of the Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC), the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group, the Tunisian Combatant Group, and elements of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. The GSPC forms the nucleus of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

While the GSPC has always had a very close relationship with al Qaeda, the terror group officially merged with al Qaeda in September of 2006. GSPC officially renamed the group al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in January of 2007. "We had wished to do this from the first day we joined (al Qaeda) but we wanted the permission of Sheikh Osama, may God protect him. This obstacle has now been removed," according to a GSPC statement released on its website.

Al Qaeda In Islamic Maghreb Suicide Bombers Attack Algerian Police Station, 4 Killed

Just when you think that you're seeing all of the al Qaeda attacks in Yemen and Pakistan and Afghanistan and Somalia, the islamic terror group makes a statement about how wide their reach is and they pull off a terror attack on a police station in Algeria today.

From the report at The Long War Journal:

A pair of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb suicide bombers killed four people, including three policemen, in an attack on a headquarters in an area of Algeria that serves as a safe haven for the terror group. Today's suicide attack is the first of its kind in Algeria this year.

The first suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives outside a police headquarters in the town of Bordj Menaiel in the Kabylie region in eastern Algeria. The second suicide bomber, who was riding a motorcycle, detonated his explosives as police and medical personnel conducted recovery operations at the scene of the first attack.

The Kabylie region, a mountainous area in eastern Algeria, is a stronghold for AQIM, al Qaeda's affiliate in northern Africa. In December 2010, Algerian security forces launched a massive operation in the Kabylie region. More than 3,500 soldiers and police attacked an AQIM camp between the cities of Boumerdes and Tizi Ouzou. Ten AQIM fighters were reported killed during the fighting.

Today's suicide bombings are the first in Algeria this year. The last suicide attack reported in Algeria took place on July 25, 2010, when a suicide bomber attacked a security barracks in a village near Tizi Ouzou.

AQIM suicide attacks have tapered off since 2008. In 2010 there were two reported suicide attacks in the country; in 2009 there was just one such attack. In 2008, there were five suicide attacks, and in 2007, there were four such attacks. The most effective attacks took place in 2007 and 2008 [see list below]; during those years, suicide bombers targeted the prime minister's office, Interpol, the United Nations, and Algerian Special Police headquarters in Algiers.

This is actually pretty surprising to me as I haven't blogged about an al Qaeda attack in Algeria in ages - actually, I think the last couple of posts were the opposite....where Algerian troops had done the ass whooping.

Typically, of all of the northern African countries, the Algerians have been the most prepared to stave off al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - the Algerians have gotten some foreign training for their troops and at the same time, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been one of the poorest financed of all al Qaeda franchises.

But who knows, perhaps this is the signal that al Qaeda has beefed up things in Algeria.

AQIM suicide bombers kill 4 in Algeria


A pair of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb suicide bombers killed four people, including three policemen, in an attack on a headquarters in an area of Algeria that serves as a safe haven for the terror group. Today's suicide attack is the first of its kind in Algeria this year.

The first suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives outside a police headquarters in the town of Bordj Menaiel in the Kabylie region in eastern Algeria. The second suicide bomber, who was riding a motorcycle, detonated his explosives as police and medical personnel conducted recovery operations at the scene of the first attack.

The Kabylie region, a mountainous area in eastern Algeria, is a stronghold for AQIM, al Qaeda's affiliate in northern Africa. In December 2010, Algerian security forces launched a massive operation in the Kabylie region. More than 3,500 soldiers and police attacked an AQIM camp between the cities of Boumerdes and Tizi Ouzou. Ten AQIM fighters were reported killed during the fighting.

Today's suicide bombings are the first in Algeria this year. The last suicide attack reported in Algeria took place on July 25, 2010, when a suicide bomber attacked a security barracks in a village near Tizi Ouzou.

AQIM suicide attacks have tapered off since 2008. In 2010 there were two reported suicide attacks in the country; in 2009 there was just one such attack. In 2008, there were five suicide attacks, and in 2007, there were four such attacks. The most effective attacks took place in 2007 and 2008 [see list below]; during those years, suicide bombers targeted the prime minister's office, Interpol, the United Nations, and Algerian Special Police headquarters in Algiers.

In the vast majority of the attacks (12 of 13 attacks) from 2007-2011, the targets were the police or military. The exception is the Dec. 11, 2007 strike that targeted the UN offices and a court building in Algiers.

Since 2008, AQIM has shifted its tactics from high-profile suicide bombings to ambushes against security forces as well as kidnapping operations, which are reported to net the terror group millions of dollars a year.

The formation of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in 2006 was the result of al Qaeda's efforts to unite the various Salafist terror groups in North Africa. AQIM is comprised of the Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC), the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group, the Tunisian Combatant Group, and elements of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. The GSPC forms the nucleus of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

While the GSPC has always had very close relationship with al Qaeda, the terror group officially merged with al Qaeda in September of 2006. GSPC officially renamed the group al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in January of 2007. "We had wished to do this from the first day we joined (al Qaeda) but we wanted the permission of Sheikh Osama, may God protect him. This obstacle has now been removed," according to a GSPC statement released on its website.


Suicide attacks in Algeria, 2007-2011:

July 16, 2011: A pair of suicide bombers killed three policemen and a security guard in the town of Bordj Menaiel in the Kabylie region.
July 25, 2010: AQIM took credit for a suicide bombing at a security barracks in a village near Tizi Ouzou on July 25, in which they claimed 36 people were killed and wounded.
June 11, 2010: A suicide bomber attacked a police barracks in the town of Timizar in the Kabylia region, killing nine people and wounding 20.
March 7, 2009: A suicide bomber targeted a police barracks in the town of Tizi Ouzou. A security guard and a civilian were killed and eight more were wounded in the attack.
Sept. 28, 2008: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the Sept. 28 suicide bombing at a police checkpoint in Dellys that killed three and wounded six.
Aug. 3, 2008: A suicide bomber wounded 25 Algerians, including four policemen, in an attack in the town of Tizi Ouzou. The bomber attacked a police station. Al Qaeda begins to deploy female suicide bombers in North Africa.
June 4, 2008: A suicide bomber wounded five Algerians in an attack outside a police barracks on the outskirts of Algiers.
Jan. 29, 2008: A car bombing in the town of Thenia killed four people and wounded 23. A police checkpoint was the target of the bombing.
Jan. 2, 2008: A suicide bomber killed four policemen in an attack on a police station in the town of Naciria.
Dec. 11, 2007: A pair of suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in an attack on UN offices and a court building in Algiers.
Sept. 8, 2007: A suicide bomber killed 28 people in an attack on a naval barracks in the coastal town of Dellys.
Sept. 6, 2007 : A suicide bomber struck in the town of Batna just prior to the arrival of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The attack killed 15 people and wounded 70.
April 11, 2007 : Suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in attacks that targeted the prime minister's office, Interpol's headquarters, and the Special Police headquarters.

Is Algeria Next On the List For the Islamists' So-Called "Democracy" Protests?

You know, anyone sitting in America who thinks these protests going on in Egypt actually has anything to do with "democracy" is kidding himself. This is all about power, folks, and it comes down to islamists versus established governments often tied to the military. And we are now seeing rumblings of the same scenario occurring in Algeria, where "democracy" protests are being planned for this month and the government is saying that the opposition political party will have blood on its hands if things turn violent.

From the story at Breitbart:

The Algerian government warned Wednesday it will be the opposition's fault if a pro-democracy protest later this month turns violent.

Opposition leaders, human rights groups, unions, students and jobless workers are planning a march Feb. 12 in Algiers, the capital. They want the government to lift the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1992, end its ban on new political parties and generally be more transparent.

But Deputy Prime Minister Nouredine Yazid Zerhouni reminded organizers Wednesday that the march is "officially banned."

"Those who are calling for this march must take responsibility for damage or for things getting out of hand," Zerhouni told reporters, adding that the government had no plans to lift its state of emergency.

Like many of its North African neighbors, Algeria, a nation of 35 million people, is on edge. Riots broke out last month after a spike in food prices, leaving two people dead, and hospital and bank employees are now on strike.

The government has closely watched the wave of resistance rippling across the Arab world—especially the popular rebellion in neighboring Tunisia that overthrew the country's autocratic leader last month and the chaos now in Egypt over President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

We all know too well in America that there is a certain amount of the population that lives to protest and demonstrate - we have protests here about global warming, food prices, war, peace, racial harmony, religious differences - you name it we have it. Well, the same is true in these Middle East and north Africa countries. There are radical fundamental islamists who protest their lack of power and seek an overthrow...we have others there who protest the harsh economic conditions...we have others who protest human rights....and yet others who protest the fact that their wife can't walk down the street. My point is simple - if you look at these current demonstrations and ones planned and see some sort of unified front of like minded democracy hungry people...you're nuts.

Let me ask you this question - when the Egyptian protests started...did you happen to see any of the Muslim Brotherhood operatives mixed into those crowds? Of course you didn't...because you couldn't tell who they were if you tried. Think about it, for a moment.

Or two.

Algeria warns opposition against banned protest


ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - The Algerian government warned Wednesday it will be the opposition's fault if a pro-democracy protest later this month turns violent.

Opposition leaders, human rights groups, unions, students and jobless workers are planning a march Feb. 12 in Algiers, the capital. They want the government to lift the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1992, end its ban on new political parties and generally be more transparent.

But Deputy Prime Minister Nouredine Yazid Zerhouni reminded organizers Wednesday that the march is "officially banned."

"Those who are calling for this march must take responsibility for damage or for things getting out of hand," Zerhouni told reporters, adding that the government had no plans to lift its state of emergency.

Like many of its North African neighbors, Algeria, a nation of 35 million people, is on edge. Riots broke out last month after a spike in food prices, leaving two people dead, and hospital and bank employees are now on strike.

The government has closely watched the wave of resistance rippling across the Arab world—especially the popular rebellion in neighboring Tunisia that overthrew the country's autocratic leader last month and the chaos now in Egypt over President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

On Jan. 22, Algerian riot police clashed with rock-throwing protesters who tried to defy the ban on public gatherings and march in Algiers. The protesters shouted "Boutef out!"—a reference to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power since 1999.

Bouteflika is widely credited with quelling a bloody insurgency that pitted Islamist militants against secular security forces and killed up to 200,000 people during the 1990s.

Yet discontent simmers in Algeria: Housing shortages and poverty are endemic, even though the country is a major gas exporter. Activists say officials often siphon off energy profits for personal use instead of investing them in the economy and jobs.

The state of emergency was imposed in reaction to the fierce Islamic insurgency. But opposition groups, noting that violence is now sporadic, say officials used the law as an excuse to ban all political protests.

In Tunisia, a widespread rebellion was sparked when a young man set himself on fire, protesting unemployment and harassment by authorities. He later died, and his desperate act sparked copycat self-immolations in the Arab world, including in Algeria, where about 10 people set themselves ablaze, at least two of them dying.

Among the cases of self-immolation was an employee of Algeria's BDL bank, angry that after 20 years he still did not have a permanent work contract. Employees of the bank, which has 350 branches in Algeria, have been on strike for three days.

Hospital workers were also striking Wednesday, demanding better pay and benefits.

On Wednesday, the Algerian government issued its first statement on the protests that have rocked the Arab world for weeks. Foreign Minister Mourad Medecin told the official APS news agency that Algeria has historic relations with Tunisia and Egypt and "would always lend a helping hand to the people of those two countries."

Algeria Finally Grows A Brain and Seeks Assistance In Fight Against Al Qaeda

For months and months I have blogged about al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (North Africa) and the whooping they were putting on Algeria. I had gone so far as to suggest that Algeria seek help from the U.S. in terror training or even enlist the services of a Blackwater type organization. Well, apparently the Algerians and others in the region were listening as they have signed some agreements to team up against the al Qaeda blight. From the story at Jane's, here's some excerpts:

Military chiefs from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger convened a closed-door meeting on 13 and 14 August to discuss the regional security situation and share strategies in the ongoing campaigns against armed Islamic insurgents in the Saharan region, Algerian security sources have told Jane's .
The meeting followed an agreement made public by Algeria and Mali, as well as Libya, to pool intelligence resources and join forces against the network of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) cells that have carried out suicide attacks, ambushes and kidnappings across the region - particularly targeting security forces.

The reason I have focused on this is the fact that al Qaeda has made North Africa one of its main targets and they have spread westward and if al Qaeda could control North Africa....well, we've seen what the islamists in Somalia have been able to accomplish in terror, piracy and barbarism.

Saharan neighbours join forces against Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb

Military chiefs from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger convened a closed-door meeting on 13 and 14 August to discuss the regional security situation and share strategies in the ongoing campaigns against armed Islamic insurgents in the Saharan region, Algerian security sources have told Jane's .
The meeting followed an agreement made public by Algeria and Mali, as well as Libya, to pool intelligence resources and join forces against the network of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) cells that have carried out suicide attacks, ambushes and kidnappings across the region - particularly targeting security forces.
It also preceded an anticipated regional security conference that is expected to draw representatives from Chad and Burkina Faso. No date has yet been announced for this conference, first floated during the African Union summit in Libya in May.
The security officials told Jane's that the aim of the meeting was to broaden the regional co-operation in the fight against AQIM. Algeria has spearheaded regional efforts to co-ordinate operations and has delivered several loads of equipment and weapons to Mali for that country's own campaign in the Sahara, begun in June. Niger and Mauritania were also due to receive similar arms shipments, according to reports in the Algerian media.

Horror In Algeria: Al Qaeda Ambushes Police Convoy, Kills 24 Algerian Police

Yep, this was a real bad one - a police convoy apparently was first struck by two IED's and then attacked by al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb jihadists leaving 24 Algerian police killed. At the same time, this is going to frame up just how serious Algeria is about fighting the al Qaeda operation in their country - previously, Algeria had shown some real signs of cracking down heavy on al Qaeda with military and police operations and they in fact, were pretty effective, but they have cut back on that and all has been fairly quiet ...up until now.

Here's the report from Reuters:

Insurgent ambush kills 24 Algerian police: report

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Insurgents killed 24 Algerian paramilitary police in an ambush on their convoy late on Wednesday, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.
There was no official comment on the report but if confirmed it would be the deadliest single attack in months in Algeria, where the government is fighting an Islamist insurgency allied to the al Qaeda network.
It took place at about 8 p.m. on a stretch of highway between the settlements of El Meher and El Mansourah, about 180 km (110 miles) east of the capital, the Echorouk newspaper cited security sources and local people as saying.
It said the attackers first activated two improvised explosive devices and then opened fire on the convoy. The insurgents left, taking with them arms, weapons and six police off-road vehicles, said the newspaper.
Two Algerian security sources, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters that there had been an ambush and that more than 20 paramilitary police had been killed.
Algeria, a major oil and gas producer across the Mediterranean from Europe, has been struggling for nearly two decades to get to grips with Islamist insurgents who now operate under the banner of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The number of attacks has been in overall decline but there has been an upsurge in violence over the past few weeks.
Insurgents killed five paramilitary gendarmes late in May and a week later shot dead nine soldiers. At the start of this month AQIM killed a British man, Edwin Dyer. The group had been holding him hostage in neighboring Mali.
The newspaper report said Wednesday's ambush had been carried out on the N5 highway, a major route linking the capital, Algiers, to cities in the east of Algeria.
It said the paramilitary police who came under attack had been assigned to guard a group of Chinese construction workers building a new east-west road link across Algeria. It did not say if any of the workers had been hurt in the attack.

Algeria Scores Big - 16 Al Qaeda Killed In Camp Raid

Great news from Algeria as the government forces raided an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb camp over the weekend killing 16 of the al Qaeda forces. Excellent! Here's some of the details on the operation from the report at The Age:

Algeria's military has killed 16 militants linked to al-Qaeda in a weekend raid on their secret base near the capital, Algiers, state media says.
French-language state radio says Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni has raised the death toll among the militants from seven previously announced. Further details were not provided in the report on Tuesday.
Officials said the raid starting late Friday near Blida was launched with information obtained from a terror support cell dismantled a week earlier. Blida is about 80km south of Algiers.

What the Algerians are finding out is how valuable disrupting one cell can be - you can see where the intel they got on this camp they targeted this weekend came from a previous operation and so, one can hope that they have gained even more intel after this raid on this camp.

At the same time, we have seen numerous ambushes on government troops and security forces by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb over the past year and we will see that again but it is encouraging to see Algeria finally taking this more seriously AND going on the offensive.

16 al-Qaeda militants killed in Algeria


Algeria's military has killed 16 militants linked to al-Qaeda in a weekend raid on their secret base near the capital, Algiers, state media says.
French-language state radio says Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni has raised the death toll among the militants from seven previously announced. Further details were not provided in the report on Tuesday.
Officials said the raid starting late Friday near Blida was launched with information obtained from a terror support cell dismantled a week earlier. Blida is about 80km south of Algiers.
The government has said the military killed 120 militants over the last six months from al-Qaeda's north Africa wing. The wing emerged from a former insurgent group in Algeria.

Al Qaeda In Islamic Maghreb Storm Algerian Base, Kill 9 Security Forces

The al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb have struck again at a secured base in Algeria, storming the location and killing nine government security forces and wounding two. This is just another reminder of the fight that the Algerians have on their hands. Here's some of the details from the report from the BBC:

Suspected Islamist militants in Algeria have killed nine security guards and wounded two at a camp east of the capital, Algiers.
The attackers bombed the compound near Jijel being used by the guards, who were working for the state-owned gas and electricity distributor Sonelgaz.
The area around Jijel, 350km (220 miles) from Algiers, is a stronghold of al-Qaeda's north African branch.
Attacks by militants in Algeria have increased in recent months.
Security sources as well as residents and local journalists confirmed the casualties in the attack on the security guards' Ziama Mansouriah compound on Sunday evening.
A mortar bomb was fired at the guards' quarters before the camp was attacked by a "horde" of militants, the Algerian newspaper El Watan reports.

This attack fits with the al Qaeda strategy of continually attacking security forces and police in a nation - one of their first emphasis is to try and dry up the peace keeping forces by eliminating any new recruits to police and security forces by the example of dead from these attacks. At the same time, the chaos created by these attack and the seemingly random nature of them adds fuel to the terror message.

I've said it before that Algeria is making the mistake that they can handle this uprising by al Qaeda by itself - and if they don't ask for some help soon, they will see a similar situation that is gripping Somalia. At the same time, Algeria has its own issues with complicity in its own ranks with the radical islamists - much of the same coercion that we have seen by Pakistani security forces in Pakistan's volatile regions.

Deadly raid on east Algerian base

Suspected Islamist militants in Algeria have killed nine security guards and wounded two at a camp east of the capital, Algiers.
The attackers bombed the compound near Jijel being used by the guards, who were working for the state-owned gas and electricity distributor Sonelgaz.
The area around Jijel, 350km (220 miles) from Algiers, is a stronghold of al-Qaeda's north African branch.
Attacks by militants in Algeria have increased in recent months.
Security sources as well as residents and local journalists confirmed the casualties in the attack on the security guards' Ziama Mansouriah compound on Sunday evening.
A mortar bomb was fired at the guards' quarters before the camp was attacked by a "horde" of militants, the Algerian newspaper El Watan reports.
The two wounded guards are being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
The guards, who worked for the private security company Spas, had been protecting Sonelgaz facilities, the newspaper adds.
Militants killed three security guards from the same firm in the same area almost a year ago, it notes.
Spas employs about 12,500 personnel, protecting 800 Sonelgaz sites across Algeria, according to the energy distributor.

Ramadan Ends In Algeria, Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb Kills 10

Algeria is just about at the point where they are going to have to call in some help with their al Qaeda problem. In the past week since the muslim holiday of Ramadan ended, the terrorist group, al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, has conducted two attacks that killed 10 - six of those were government troops. Here's the details from The Earth Times:

At least 10 people have been killed in two attacks in recent days as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan came to a close, Algerian media reported Saturday. Six members of the security forces were killed in one attack when armed attackers opened fire on their vehicle in Theniet el-Had in the west of the country, el-Khabar newspaper reported.
The attackers were members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the report said.

In the attack, a suicide attacker blew himself up in an explosive- laden car near a military barracks in Boumerdes the north of the country, killing four and injuring nine, according to the official account.

We are seeing the al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb jihadists using all of the tactics akin to al Qaeda to kill effectively in Algeria - from small arms ambushes to suicide bombers and in almost 90% of the attacks, the targets are Algerian army forces or police. This is classic al Qaeda and what we saw in the early years of the Iraq War where the focus was to kill as many Iraqi police as possible in an effort to drive off any potential new recruits in the security force area.

Algeria has been extremely slow to react to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb as I believe it is still a bit in denial that their fellow muslim brothers are spilling their blood. That is why I am certain that at some point, the Algerians will need to bring in some terrorism experts to help them not just react to the terror but to start sniffing out these terrorist BEFORE they act.

Ten dead in attacks as Ramadan ends in Algeria

Algiers/Paris - At least 10 people have been killed in two attacks in recent days as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan came to a close, Algerian media reported Saturday. Six members of the security forces were killed in one attack when armed attackers opened fire on their vehicle in Theniet el-Had in the west of the country, el-Khabar newspaper reported.
The attackers were members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the report said.
The same organization, which was previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) and which is believed to have links to the international al-Qaeda network, claimed responsibility for an attack on September 28 that left four people dead.
In the attack, a suicide attacker blew himself up in an explosive- laden car near a military barracks in Boumerdes the north of the country, killing four and injuring nine, according to the official account.
The terrorist organization has threatened to carry out more suicide attacks against the military and foreign interests.

Algeria Under Siege: Twin Car Bombings Kill 11 A Day After 43 Perish In Another Suicide Attack

Algeria is under attack, folks and it appears to be an all out attack with back to back bombings in two days. The most recent attack was a twin car bombing in the city of Bouira that targeted a military command center and a hotel - that was today and yesterday, in the region of Boumerdes, a suicide car bomber hit a police academy killing 43. Here's some of the details from the report at Breitbart:

Wednesday's first bomb targeted Bouira's regional military command and injured four soldiers, the state-run APS news agency said. A minute later, 11 people died and 27 were wounded when a second bomb went off next to a hotel in downtown Bouira, APS and the state-run national radio said.
A security official in the Bouira area told The Associated Press that nearly all the victims were civilians.

The blasts appeared to be quite powerful, and an AP reporter in the area heard them from several miles away

And this, regarding yesterday's deadly bombing that killed 43:

Some 45 kilometers 27 miles to the north of Bouira in the adjacent Boumerdes province, a suicide bomber on Tuesday rammed a car into a line of applicants at a police academy in the town of Les Issers, killing at least 43 people and injuring 45.

Now, look at this from the article:

No group has claimed responsibility for either attack. An al-Qaida affiliate has organized a series of bombings over the past two years in this North African country that has important oil and natural gas fields.

There is no question, absolutely none, that these attacks were carried out by al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb - the "affiliate" that is mentioned in the article. The only reason that al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb hasn't claimed responsibility yet is because they had the second day of bombings planned and didn't want to tip anything off.

Algeria is, simply put, at war. The attacks by al Qaeda now are occuring each and every week and as you can see, the carnage is growing in intensity. This is vintage al Qaeda when military and police locations are hit - one of al Qaeda's typical strategies is to bomb the shit out of police recruits so that literally the supply line of new police and security recruits dries up.

It's my view that if Algeria doesn't ask for some help in this situation soon, they are going to be in serious trouble.

Twin car bombings hit Algerian hotel, barracks

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Twin car bombings rocked a hotel and military headquarters in the Algerian town of Bouira on Wednesday, killing 11 people a day after a suicide bombing in a neighboring region killed 43, official media and witnesses said.
Wednesday's first bomb targeted Bouira's regional military command and injured four soldiers, the state-run APS news agency said. A minute later, 11 people died and 27 were wounded when a second bomb went off next to a hotel in downtown Bouira, APS and the state-run national radio said.
A security official in the Bouira area told The Associated Press that nearly all the victims were civilians. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't allowed to discuss such matters with the media.
It was not immediately clear whether the bombings, which occurred at about 6 a.m. local time, were suicide attacks or if the two cars blew up by remote control. There was no immediate official comment on the attacks.
The military barracks were most damaged. "Parts of the walls have fallen-off, the fence is destroyed, cars are buried under the rubble," Abdellah Debbache, the Bouira correspondent of Algeria's Liberte newspaper, told AP by telephone.
Algerian news reports said the front facade of the barracks had been torn off and that several other buildings had been damaged.
Most victims from the second bomb had been traveling in a bus that passed in front of the hotel, APS said. Local hospital officials said they were workers from a construction company building a dam nearby at Koudiet-Acerdoun, the news agency reported.
Witnesses said several people had been brought to the hospital. Bouira was cordoned off by police and several additional roadblocks were set up in the surrounding region, they said.
The blasts appeared to be quite powerful, and an AP reporter in the area heard them from several miles away.
Bouira is located some 60 miles southeast of Algiers in the Bouira province.
Some 45 kilometers 27 miles to the north of Bouira in the adjacent Boumerdes province, a suicide bomber on Tuesday rammed a car into a line of applicants at a police academy in the town of Les Issers, killing at least 43 people and injuring 45.
No group has claimed responsibility for either attack. An al-Qaida affiliate has organized a series of bombings over the past two years in this North African country that has important oil and natural gas fields.
Violence has dramatically increased since 2006, when the GSPC, Algeria's last big extremist group left over from a quieted insurgency in the 1990s renamed itself Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa and joined Osama bin Laden's network.
The insurgency broke out in 1992 when the army canceled the second round of legislative elections that an Islamist party was expected to win. Ensuing fighting between security forces and Islamic militants left some 200,000 dead.

Suicide Bomb Attack Hits Algerian City, Eight Killed

A very brief report on this breaking attack in northern Algeria from the BBC here so I'll excerpt the entire report here:

Algeria city hit by suicide bomb

Eight people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in northern Algeria, reports say.
Another 19 people were injured in the blast, which happened overnight in the northern city of Zemmouri, about 50km (31 miles) east of the capital Algiers.
Explosives packed into a vehicle detonated outside a police station in the city. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The seaside city is a popular holiday destination, especially in the summer.
The attack came a week after more than 20 people were injured when a police station in Tizi Ouzou, another northern city, was targeted by a suicide car bomber.
Al-Qaeda's North Africa wing claimed responsibility for that attack.

Now, it says that no one has claimed responsibility for this attack but we all know it was al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (which the article refers to as Al-Qaeda's North Africa wing). This is quintessential al Qaeda with a vehicle loaded with explosives targeting a police headquarters.

The al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb has been active as hell in Algeria and just when the Algerian forces have had some success and it seems to have settled down, an attack like this one always comes next. At some point in time, the Algerians are going to wake up to the fact that they are in a long war with this group and as monies from all over al Qaeda land start flowing more into this group, the Algerians are going to find themselves in a helluva dogfight.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Claims Responsibility For Algerian Bombing

Another day, another al Qaeda terror attack, another threat to the world from islamists. It's like a broken record. The al Qaeda branch in Northern Africa, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb announced today that they were responsible for the bombing in Algeria on Sunday and went on to post photos and details of the asshat who drove a truck full of explosives into a building, wounding more than two dozen people. I don't know, does a moron like that guy get his 72 virgins if he doesn't actually kill anyone? Anyway, here's the scoop from Reuters:

A car bomb exploded near a police station in the town of Tizi Ouzou, east of Algiers, on Sunday, wounding 25 people including four policemen.
The group, al Qaeda organization in the Islamic Maghreb, identified the bomber as Makhlouf Abou-Mariam and said his truck was laden with 600 kg (1,320 pounds) of an unspecified explosive material.

The group also posted a picture of Abu-Mariam, who appeared to be in his 20s, wearing a green turban and holding a pistol in one hand and a grenade in the other with three assault rifles nearby.

And of course, like any other claim of responsibility, al Qaeda has to put out the threat so here's what they said:

"We tell the sons of France and the slaves of America, and (we tell) their masters too, that our finger is on the trigger and the convoys of martyrs are longing to rampage your bastions in defense of our Islamic nation," the group said in the statement posted on an Islamist website.

It is really fascinating to me to see a fairly obscure al Qaeda franchise like the Maghreb faction being obsessed with America, as well. These peons are roaming the deserts of Algerian plotting attacks on Algerian citizens and yet, can't resist naming America in their threats.

At the same time, this group of al Qaeda has actually done some serious damage in less than two years since they joined the al Qaeda network and although the Algerian government has been pretty aggressive in going after them, the destabilizing efforts of al Qaeda in Algeria continue periodically. Also, this group has already tried to reach outside of Algeria with it's brand of terror.

Al Qaeda says it was behind Algeria bombing: website

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's North Africa wing said it was behind a deadly suicide bombing in Algeria on Sunday, according to a statement posted on the Internet on Wednesday.
A car bomb exploded near a police station in the town of Tizi Ouzou, east of Algiers, on Sunday, wounding 25 people including four policemen.
The group, al Qaeda organization in the Islamic Maghreb, identified the bomber as Makhlouf Abou-Mariam and said his truck was laden with 600 kg (1,320 pounds) of an unspecified explosive material.
The explosion destroyed a dozen cars, ripped the facade off a small block of apartments, gouged chunks of masonry from the walls of other nearby buildings and shattered windows in the town centre.
"We tell the sons of France and the slaves of America, and (we tell) their masters too, that our finger is on the trigger and the convoys of martyrs are longing to rampage your bastions in defense of our Islamic nation," the group said in the statement posted on an Islamist website.
The group also posted a picture of Abu-Mariam, who appeared to be in his 20s, wearing a green turban and holding a pistol in one hand and a grenade in the other with three assault rifles nearby.
The group has claimed several attacks in past including the twin suicide bombings of U.N. offices and a court building in Algiers in December 2007, which killed 41 people, 17 of them United Nations staff.
Algeria is emerging from more than a decade of conflict that began when in 1992 the military-backed government scrapped legislative elections a radical Islamic party was poised to win. About 150,000 people have died during the ensuing violence.
The bloodshed has subsided in recent years and in 2006 the government freed more than 2,000 former Islamist guerrillas under an amnesty designed to put an end to the conflict.
But a hard core of several hundred rebels fights on as members of al Qaeda's North Africa wing, which was previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat or GSPC.

Two Algerian Christian Converts Convicted Of Spreading Their Faith

Just keep reminding yourself, it's the Religion of Peace, the Religion of Peace... Two muslims in Algeria who converted to Christianity were arrested and now convicted of their crime. What was the crime? Let's see, here at OneNewsNow:

The court in Tissemsilt, 110 miles southwest of Algiers, handed Rachid Muhammad Essaghir, 37, and Djallal Dhamani six-month suspended sentences and 100,000-dinar (US$1,660) fines. The men were found guilty of “distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims.”

The article goes on to mention more of what has been going on in Algeria:

The case has received both local and international publicity following a wave of trials this year against Algerian Christians for evangelism and illegally practicing their faith.

In most cases the Christians have been charged under a presidential decree from February 2006 that restricts religious worship to government approved buildings. The decree, known as Ordinance 06-03, also outlaws any attempt to convert Muslims to another faith.

So, the islamists of Algeria are so threatened by Christianity that they have basically made the spreading of that faith, illegal? And at the same time, the nation of Algeria is under siege from al Qaeda's network in their midst. It's illegal to speak of Christianity in Algeria but apparently it's okay to blow up a suicide belt in the middle of a market.

This is a prime example that substantiates my position that islam is NOT a religion. It is a violent political theology. Name ONE religion on the face of the Earth that prohibits the worship of another religion in its midst? Funny, I haven't read of Buddhists arresting Hindus in Thailand nor have I heard of Catholics in Canada arresting Jews in Calgary.

It's not a religion folks. It has the tolerance of Hitler's naziism. It has the goal of Stalin. It has the suppression of Marxism.

Algerian christians sentenced for spreading faith

ISTANBUL, July 3 (Compass Direct News) – A court in western Algeria convicted two Muslim converts to Christianity yesterday for illegally spreading their faith.

The court in Tissemsilt, 110 miles southwest of Algiers, handed Rachid Muhammad Essaghir, 37, and Djallal Dhamani six-month suspended sentences and 100,000-dinar (US$1,660) fines. The men were found guilty of “distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims.”

“Once they get the written sentence, they will appeal straight away,” close friend of Essaghir told Compass following the trial.

The case has received both local and international publicity following a wave of trials this year against Algerian Christians for evangelism and illegally practicing their faith.

In most cases the Christians have been charged under a presidential decree from February 2006 that restricts religious worship to government approved buildings. The decree, known as Ordinance 06-03, also outlaws any attempt to convert Muslims to another faith.

Though no Christian has yet served jail time on religious charges, several still on trial or appealing their convictions have said that negative publicity has damaged their businesses and family life.

Habiba Kouider, facing a three-year sentence after police stopped her while she was carrying several Christian books, has been kicked out of her family’s home. Kouider’s brothers learned about her conversion to Christianity after her case sparked national and international media attention.

“When her brother found out she was a Christian, he commanded her to leave the house without worrying about what would happen to her,” an assistant to defense lawyer Khelloudja Khalfoun’s wrote in an e-mail last month. The convert to Christianity is temporarily staying with another sister while searching for more permanent accommodations.

Chaban Beikel, a pastry maker, was fired after his boss discovered that he was one of four Protestants convicted of evangelism in Tiaret city last month, the same source said.

Eight Suicide Bombers Leave Algeria for Gaza Strip Operation

This is ridiculous. Algerian officials are reporting that eight suicide bombers have left Algeria and their destination is Gaza, with plans in place for them to attack Israeli soldiers. Apparently a couple of the would be bombers have already reached Gaza and phoned home to tell their families what they are up to and that is how Algerian officials found out about this.

My questions are:

1. Has Algeria forwarded to Israel the name and photos of these men?
2. How exactly did/do these suicide bombers get into Gaza? Through Egypt?
3. What did Algeria do to stop these bombers in transit? Did they alert Egypt and Israel border patrols?

I mean, good grief, how long are they going to wait to report this?

I guess my other question is this. What group in Gaza is going to use these attackers? Hamas? Islamic Jihad? Al Qaeda in Gaza? Hopefully, these attackers will not find a single Israeli soldier target and they will then notice what an absolute pig sty that Gaza really is and that the palis they felt sorry for, well, they'll find out why the Arab world has always turned their back on them. My guess is they'll be heading home to Algeria soon - serve 'em right if Egypt doesn't let em out of the hell hole.

Full story is here.

Algeria: Eight would-be suicide bombers 'headed to Gaza', says report

Algiers, 10 March (AKI) - Eight would-be suicide bombers left eastern Algeria a few days ago and are reportedly heading to the Gaza Strip to commit suicide attacks against Israeli soldiers, reported pan Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat on Monday.The young men reportedly left their homes days ago without saying anything to their families.Reportedly, their intent is to join Hamas' armed wing, the Izzadin al-Qassam brigades, considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.It is reported that the eight were driven to go to Gaza after the grim images broadcasted by Arab satellite TV stations showing the dead, following Israel's military operation against alleged Palestinian rocket crews.The raids in late February lasted five-days and left 125 people dead, half of them civilians, Israeli sources said, citing medical officials. The report said that after a few days, two of the would-be bombers reached Gaza and called their parents saying they were in good health and that they wanted "to carry out a suicide attack against the Jews."The eight men, aged between 18 and 24 come from the village of al-Raqiba in the province of Wadi, about 600 kilometres from the capital Algiers.

Al Qaeda in North Africa Kills 20 Algerian soldiers In Clash

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the al Qaeda franchisee in northern Africa is claiming that they killed 20 Algerian troops in clashes in easter Algeria. Now, there are reports that al Qaeda lost over 25 of their misfits in the fighting and in fact may have lost a significant leader as well but that is still unconfirmed.

Here's an excerpt from the Reuter's article:

"After the apostates trumpeted their major campaign to comb the Bejaia area, for which they gathered more than 10,000 troops ... and claimed to surround the emir of the organization, and the enemy al-Shorouk newspaper ... told lies about the killing of 25 mujahideen ... we wish to present a summary of the utter failure of the apostates..." the group said.
"Most casualties were recorded among the apostates during the explosion of dozens of bombs that the mujahideen received them with... and their limbs went flying, two of their vehicles were charred and many of them fled like frightened rats..."

Actually, in my estimation, Algeria has been very proactive against al Qaeda in the past two months. They need to be. Once al Qaeda starts to be able to interlink across the countries of north Africa - from Ethiopia to Somalia to Sudan to Algeria to Morocco, it is going to be a formidable force and I doubt the host countries would be able to coordinate any kind of resistance as a group since most of them hate each other.

Qaeda in north Africa says kills 20 Algeria troops

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's wing in north Africa says it has killed 20 Algerian soldiers and wounded 30 in clashes in its eastern stronghold, where the army has launched a campaign against the rebels.
In an Internet statement posted on Saturday, the group denied a newspaper report that 25 of its fighters had been killed and played down reports its leader had been surrounded.
Liberte and El Watan reported last month that Abdelmalek Droudkel, also known as Abu Mus'ab Abd el-Wadoud may be among rebels that 9,000-10,000 troops had besieged in a mountainous area between the two eastern provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for several major attacks including two suicide bombings that targeted U.N. offices and a court building in December 2007, killing 41 people including 17 United Nations staff.
Algeria is emerging from over a decade of conflict that began when the military-backed government scrapped legislative polls in 1992 that a radical Islamic party was poised to win.

Al Qaeda In Algeria Ambushes and Kills 8 Algerian Police

Algeria, if you haven't noticed by now, you are in a war. Al Qaeda's jihadists have Algeria squarely in their sights and two days ago, a convoy of Algerian police and security forces were ambushed with 8 police being killed. It's been apparent that al Qaeda has tried to reel in all islamic jihad groups across norther Africa to begin the chaos and takeover of those countries - from Morocco to Somalia. The al Qaeda group in Algeria, namely the Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, has been the most organized and lethal. This is also the same jihadist group that attacked the Israeli embassy in Mauritania the past week.
It is apparent that this group is being funded well and that with the incursion into Mauritania, they have designs on spreading their terror well outside of Algeria.

Side note: Notice below how Reuter's continues to label these al Qaeda groups in their headlines as "rebels." Wouldn't want to call a spade a spade, huh Reuter's?

Here's the full story.

Algeria rebels ambush and kill 8 soldiers

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist rebels killed eight paramilitary gendarmes when they ambushed their convoy in eastern Algeria, a security source said on Friday.
The ambush on Thursday night was the deadliest attack in Algeria since December 11 when 37 people, including 17 United Nations staff, were killed in a double suicide bombing in the capital Algiers, according to the government.
The attack on the gendarmes occurred at Draa Argayen hamlet in the desert province of El Oued, some 500 km (300 miles) southeast of Algiers, the source said.
"Seven gendarmes were killed on the ambush spot while another gendarme succumbed to his wounds later on," the source said, without giving more details.
Authorities were not immediately available for comment on the ambush and no group has claimed responsibility for it.
Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), claimed responsibility for the December bombings, which hit U.N. offices and a court building.
Violence broke out in Algeria in 1992 after the military-backed authorities scrapped a parliamentary election that an Islamist political party, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), was set to win.
Up to 200,000 people were killed in the ensuing bloodshed.
Violence had fallen since the 1990s, but a spate of suicide bombings in and around Algiers has killed scores in the past 18 months since the GSPC changed its name and declared allegiance to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.