Iraq: Algerian Jihadists
By Olivier Guitta
Algeria's GSPC is providing the insurgents in Iraq with jihadists.
For proof, this story from The Croissant:
The Algerians were already active in Afghanistan. In fact, according to a 2002 UN report, Algerians are second to the Saudis in the number of pro Taliban militants in Afghanistan arrested by Pakistani security services.
When it comes to Iraq, it seems that Algerian jihadists are also quite active.
For example in 2006 out of the 1,550 militants arrested by Syria on their way to Iraq, 200 were Algerian citizens. Also about 80 Algerians are currently detained in Iraqi jails and about 120 individuals are detained in Algerian prisons for belonging to the “Iraqi network”.
In light of this, it is not surprising that according to the weekly Jeune Afrique L’Intelligent, the Algerian GSPC is third in the ranking of organizations feeding volunteers to the Iraqi jihadists.
This picture fits in the following statistic: according to Western intelligence: the jihadists coming from North Africa represent more than 25% of the about 1,000 foreign insurgents.
Finally, a security source estimated at 300 (till the end of 2006) the number of Algerians fighting in Iraq.
To read the rest, please click here.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://counterterrorismblog.org/mt/pings.cgi/3949
