Al Qaeda in The Maghreb: a reality to reckon

By Olivier Guitta

I have been reporting on the emergence of an Al Qaeda branch in the Maghreb since November 2005.
It seems now that it's becoming a reality more and more each day.
The Croissant summarized and translated this article from the Lebanese L'Orient le Jour:

An Islamist Maghrebi “terrorist arc” threatens Europe

Just a few months ago, the Algerian terrorist group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) became Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQITM)

According to French antiterrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguière:
· The name AQITM is a clear signal of the ex-GSPC’s expansion in the region
· The ex-GSPC wants to integrate all the Maghrebi radical movements: the Libyan GICL, the Moroccan GICM and the Tunisian GICT
· This forms an “islamist arc”
· AQITM also has expansion plans in the Sahel
· This new development is a major source of concern for France and a direct threat to the country

In Algeria, AQITM recently attacked international targets:
· On December 10: a bus transporting employees of the US company Halliburton was attacked (1 killed, 8 wounded)
· On March 3: vehicles transporting 21 Russian workers were bombed (4 killed, including 1 Russian)

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