Islamist activity in the Sahara in relation to travel security

[priffe]

AFP: Qaeda threatens to execute French captive: US monitors

[Ulrich]

Two terrorists were killed during the ambush that claimed the lives of 11 GGF in the region Tinzaouatine Algerian-Malian border. The terrorists were Mauritanian and Malian nationality so that the ambush was conducted by the appointed Abu Abdelkrim Targa, an "emir" Tuareg of Mali.

Temoust - Des mercenaires étrangers ont participé �* l’attaque de Tinzaouatine

Gogoonisch - E

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

Abu Al-Abbas and Samir Mossaab, two important figures of the GSPC, have added their voices to call for terrorists to lay down their arms.

Liberte - L’appel �* la reddition de l’“émir” recruteur du GSPC

Gogoonisch - E

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

The GSPC is losing its supporters in prisons

Several terrorists currently imprisoned just launched "a debate on a revision of the jihadist ideology" to be released soon.

Liberte - Le GSPC perd ses partisans au sein des prisons

Gogoonisch - E

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

* France gives support to Mauritanian military operation

* Says action taken against al Qaeda's North Africa wing

* Militants give no proof French hostage remains alive

(Writes through with fresh comment)

By John Irish and Laurent Prieur

PARIS/NOUAKCHOTT, July 23 (Reuters) - France and Mauritania said on Friday they carried out a military operation against al Qaeda's North African wing, believed to be holding a 78-year-old French hostage in the desert Sahel region.

Mauritania said six Islamists were killed in the attack, but French officials said they had no word on the fate of Michel Germaneau, a retired engineer kidnapped on April 22 and held by al Qaeda's North African wing, AQIM.

Reuters - France, Mauritania in desert strike on al Qaeda

Ulrich

[Richard Washington]

The raid on AQIM in NE Mali today by Mauri and French forces is an example of something that would have been impossible without the joint (Alg, Mauri, Niger, Mali) command HQ which was agreed back in April 2010.
Interesting that Mali doesn't seem to have been involved.
Seems to me it was an unsuccessful attempt to free the French hostage. These must be tough times for the Spanish and French hostages alike.

[priffe]

France and Mauritania attacks on Malian territory without notice? Using a Malian airport without their knowledge? And where does the Tam command centre come in? Is the French hostage alive?
Confusion reigns in the desert.

[Chris Scott]

From what little we know, I too fail to see any obvious link to Tam command. That was a coalition of African nations, no? If there is then they have failed to capitalise on it in a PR sense. Sounds more like the French teamed up with Mori to get a job done and used Mali's 'cross border' invitation/permission given a while back.

Makes sense not to get Mali army in on it, IMO.

Good on them for trying, but you hope they have not jeopardised Germaneau's life, if it indeed was him they were trying to release and failed. Not all reports say this.

Ch

[Richard Washington]

The Tam command centre is one thing. But the joint security agreement set up back in April is precisely what needed to be in place to allow Mauri to raid into Mali. Without that agreement, the raid would probably never have happened.

[Ulrich]

If Sarkozy wanted to extinguish the fire that threaten business by releasing old hostage's thunder.

The intervention of France in the north of Mali is extremely serious. If it were to be confirmed, this would mean that Paris is ready to assume the right to intervene and not only in its pre-square Africa. According to El Pais and ABC, two credible newspapers in Spain, France intervened in a border region of Algeria. Then race to the territories, as in the good old days, in the Sahel where foreign competition is raging.

Liberte - Une opération de la France contre l’AQMI échoue dans le Sahel

Gogoonisch - E


Ulrich

Links not working - new English link

CS

[Richard Washington]

This is a comment on the Algerian press article immediately above this post.
The basic line of argument in the article is that France should not be intervening in the Sahara and where they are seen to intervene, it is for geopolitical reasons - such as securing supply of raw materials like bauxite and uranium.

I find this argument quite dated. Sure, Europe may be interested in raw materials, but the situation is not as simple as it was 100 years ago. For example, France has maintained a large and highly visible military presence in Chad but that did not stop Chad deciding against France as their partner in oil deals a couple of years ago.

But notably, in the case of AQIM and the Sahara, if the Algerian journalist is moaning about French intervention, then that journalist also has to ask what, if anything, has been done to combat AQIM since they set up shop in the desert in 2003 - six or more years ago. Not much is the simple answer. If Mali and the rest of the countries concerned were to stand by and watch for another six or more years, then AQIM will have built quite an empire. So the question that the journalist should be asking is 'why did it take so long to have a go at these guys?'.

[Ulrich]

In Algiers, it is estimated that parts of the Sahel are doing the game for Al Qaeda, by encouraging foreign intervention in the region.

L'Expression - La France allume la poudrière du Sahel

Gogoonisch - E

PARIS/NOUAKCHOTT, July 24 (Reuters) - Paris said on Saturday it had no news on the fate of a French hostage held by al Qaeda, after French special forces and Mauritanian troops attacked a camp run by the Islamists in the Sahara desert.

Reuters - No news on French hostage after military raid in Mali

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

News from "bubble-talker" Jeremy Keenan

A Saharan front in the 'global war on terror' was planned between the US and the Algerian government in 2002 and launched in 2003

Al Jazeera - Al-Qaeda in the Sahel

Ulrich

[priffe]

Originally Posted by Ulrich

News from "bubble-talker" Jeremy Keenan

Al Jazeera - Al-Qaeda in the Sahel

Keenan:

While this is unlikely, the West would be better advised to question why Algeria is making so much publicity about raising troop levels in the region to the absurd figure of 75,000 by 2012. Who is the enemy they will fight? The DRS currently puts the number of named suspected terrorists (including its own agents) in the Sahel at only 108, while the less well informed CIA estimates 300 to 400.

Keenan keeps repeating himself.
If Algeria wants to take control over their territory - is that controversial?
After Sudan is split up, Algeria will be the largest country in Africa, and 75000 troops doesn't sound like a lot.
Keenan could rather ask why Mali doesn't try to take control over their part of the desert. The implications of that fact should worry Bamako, even more so after the UN verdict on Kosovo last week.

[priffe]

The desert is abuzz with rumours about what happened, why it happened, and what will happen next.
Secret Défense: Sahel : une opération contre Al Qaida menée avec l'appui de la France (actualisé-2)
Secret Défense: Mali : plus d'une vingtaine de militaires français ont participé �* l'opération antiterroriste

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