Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat | |
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الجماعة السلفية للدعوة والقتال | |
Salafist Jihadism Qutbism | |
Size | thousand +10,000 Between 1998 and 2007 [1] |
Part of |
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Allies | |
Opponents | |
The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (
History
Estimates of the number of GSPC members vary widely, from a few hundred to as many as 4,000.
A splinter or separate branch of Hattab's group, the Free Salafist Group (GSL), headed by El Para, was linked to the kidnapping of 32 European tourists in Algeria in early 2003.[5] Other sources[who?] illustrate the involvement of the Algerian intelligence services in exaggerating the claims about terrorist threats in the Sahara, and the supposed alliance between this group and Al-Qaeda. Some of the reputation of El Para is also attributed to the Algerian government, as a possible employer, and it has been alleged that certain key events, such as kidnappings, were staged, and that there was a campaign of deception and disinformation originated by the Algerian government and perpetuated by the media.[11][12]
By March 2005, it was reported that the GSPC "may be prepared to give up the armed struggle in Algeria and accept the government's reconciliation initiative."
International links
Algerian officials and authorities from neighbouring countries have speculated that the GSPC may have been active outside Algeria. These activities may relate to the GSPC's alleged long-standing involvement with smuggling, protection rackets, and money laundering across the borders of Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and Chad, possibly to underpin the group's finances.[5] However, recent developments seem to indicate that a splinter group may have sought refuge in the Tuareg regions of northern Mali and Niger following crackdowns by Algerian government forces in the north and south of the country since 2003. French secret services report that the group has received funding from the country of Qatar.[16]
Some observers, including
Allegations of GSPC links to al-Qaeda predate the
Similar claims of links between the GSPC and
In 2005, after years of absence, the United States showed renewed military interest in the region[21][22] through involvement in the "Flintlock 2005" exercise, which involved US Special Forces training soldiers from Algeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and Chad. The United States alleged that the Sahel region had become a training ground for Islamist recruits.[23] However, the two most important pieces of evidence of 'terrorist activity' – the tourist kidnapping of 2003 and the attack on the Mauritanian army base just as "Flintlock" got underway – have subsequently been called into question.[17][24]
Observers said that the region's governments have much to gain from associating[25] local armed movements and long-established smuggling operations with al-Qaeda and the global "War on Terrorism".[17] In June 2005, while the "Flintlock" exercise was still underway, Mauritania asked "Western countries interested in combating the terrorist surge in the African Sahel to supply it with advanced military equipment."[26]
Timeline of attacks
- 23 November 2002: group of Algerian soldiers are ambushed. Nine died and twelve were wounded.[citation needed]
- February 2003: 32 European tourists are kidnapped. One died of heat stroke, seventeen hostages were rescued by Algerian troops on 13 May 2003, and the remainder were released in August 2003.[27]
- 12 February 2004: Near Tighremt, Islamic extremists ambush a police patrol, killing seven police officers and wounding three others. The assailants also seized firearms and three vehicles.[28]
- 7 April 2005: In Tablat, Blida Province, armed assailants fire on five vehicles at a fake road block, killing 13 civilians, wounding one other and burning five vehicles.[29]
- 15 October 2006: In Ain Defla, assailants attack and kill eight private security guards by unknown means.[30]
In 2007, formed the basis for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and credit for subsequent attacks were taken by AQIM.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c BBC Documentary about increased US military focus on the Sahara region. August 2005.
- S2CID 153848665.
- ^ "THE GSPC Newest Franchise in Al-Qa'ida's Global Jihad". Combating Terrorism Center. 2 April 2007. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ "Brand al-Qaeda". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 January 2007. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f "Islamism, Violence and Reform in Algeria: Turning the Page (Islamism in North Africa III)]". International Crisis Group Report. 30 July 2004. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Terrorism Act 2000". Schedule 2, Act No. 11 of 2000.
- ^ Algerian group backs al-Qaeda, BBC News, 23 October 2003
- ^ Interview with the Former Leader of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, 17 October 2005
- ^ a b Interview with Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, commander of the GSPC Archived December 21, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 26 September 2005 (globalterroralert.com website) (pdf)
- ^ "Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC)", Terrorist Organizations, World Statesman. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ a b El Para, the Maghreb's Bin Laden – who staged the tourist kidnappings? by Salima Mellah and Jean-Baptiste Rivoire, Le Monde Diplomatique, February 2005
- ^ Keenan, Jeremy (26 September 2006). "The Collapse of the Second Front". Foreign Policy in Focus. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Georges Rassi, "End of Insurgency", al-Mustaqbal, as reported in MidEast Mirror, 24 March 2005. Quoted in Islamist Terrorism in the Sahel: Fact or Fiction? Archived 2012-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Top Algerian Islamist slams Qaeda group, urges peace, Reuters, 30 March 2006 Archived 2007-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Al-Qaida joins Algerians against France", AP, 14 September 2006
- ^ Deep Read: Malian tinderbox – A dangerous puzzle. 9 July 2012.
- ^ a b c US targets Sahara 'terrorist haven', BBC News, 8 August 2005
- ^ GSPC in Italy: The Forward Base of Jihad in Europe by Kathryn Haar, Jamestown Foundation, 9 February 2006) Archived 8 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "'The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb': The Evolving Terrorist Presence in North Africa", Inquiry and Analysis, Middle East Media Research Institute, 7 March 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ Algerian terror group seeks Zarqawi's help, UPI 2 May 2006
- ^ General Sees Expanding Strategic Role for U.S. European Command In Africa by Charles Cobb Jr., American Enterprise Institute, 16 April 2004 Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Africa Command Not European Command, Says Official by Charles Cobb Jr., American Enterprise Institute, 4 May 2004 Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ DoD Press Release about the "Flintlock 2005" military exercise, 17 June 2005 Archived 14 July 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ L'attaque contre la garnison de Lemgheity toujours à la une, Panapress, Jeune Afrique, 16 June 2005
- ^ Un Marocain arrêté en Mauritanie pour terrorisme, La Libération (Casablanca), 8 June 2006
- ^ Mauritanian authorities transform Lemgheity post into military base[permanent dead link], Al-Akhbar website in Arabic 1410 gmt 22 Jun 5, BBC Monitoring Service.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Africa – Sahara hostages freed". 18 August 2003. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "View Incident". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ "View Incident". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ "View Incident". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.