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December 12, 2006
Algeria: Islamists Claim Responsibility For Bomb Attack
News from Reuters, Associated Press, VOA News, UPI, Press Association and the BBC:
On Sunday, the first attack upon foreigners in several years was carried out in Algeria. The attack took place at Bouchaoui, nine miles west of the capital, Algiers. Two buses carrying workers from an oil company were being driven back to their accommodation at a Sheraton hotel when Islamists attacked the vehicles.
The assailants threw a bomb at the first bus and then started to fire bullets at the second. The second bus turned around and returned to the offices of the company they worked for, Brown & Root-Condor, which is an affiliate of the US company Halliburton.
The Algerian driver of the first bus was killed in the attack, and nine others were injured. The wounded included four Britons, an American, a Canadian and a Lebanese. The British Foreign Office would only confirm that three British nationals have been wounded, though it said their injuries are not serious.
The US Embassy immediately gave out a Warden Notice to its citizens in Algeria, warning them to be on high alert and tighten their security procedures. About 800 US nationals live in Algeria, most of them employed in the oil/hydrocarbon sector.
Yesterday, a message appeared on an Islamist website, which purported to come from the Algerian terror group GSPC or Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. This group has long been associated with Al Qaeda, but on September 11 this year, this was confirmed officially by Ayman al-Zawahri, the deputy leader of Al Qaeda.
In September last year, Algerian citizens went to the polls to vote on a referendum to allow amnesty for the perpetrators of Islamist terror in the country. When in 1992 the army refused to allow the Islamic Salvation Front, an elected Islamist party, to take power, various groups emerged who conducted a war against Algerian interests. The majority of their victims were civilians. At least 150,000 people had been killed by Islamist groups.
The referendum was held on September 29 2005. The referendum results were announced on October 1, stating that the public was willing to approve an amnesty. Within hours of the results, GSPC's leader, Abou Mossab Abdelouadoud (Abdelmalek Droukdel) made an announcement on a jihadist website. He said: "The Jihad will go on ... we have promised God to continue the Jihad and the combat."
The message which appeared yesterday from GSPC called the Sunday attack "a gift to all Muslims". The statement read: "We carried out this raid as a gift to all Muslims who are suffering from the new Crusader campaign targeting Islam and its holy places."
"We reiterate our call to all Muslims in Algeria to keep away from the interests of the infidels to avoid harm... once (these interests or individuals) are targeted."
It is believed that the oil workers were attacked because of Brown & Root-Condor's links to Halliburton. It is widely believed in the Muslim world that Halliburton sought to exploit the Iraq invasion for its own ends. However, Brown & Root-Condor also carry out work for the Algerian government, who are perceived as "enemies" by Islamist groups, including the GSPC.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 12, 2006 3:31 AM
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