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| Africa North |
| Al Qaeda exploits anger in Algeria's Kabylie |
| 2008-06-05 |
| The mountains of northern Algeria have long sheltered outlaws, but it's not just rugged terrain that draws al Qaeda to ravines and forests. The local Berber people's alienation from the Arab-dominated government of the OPEC member makes the steep slopes of Kabylie a congenial base for the toughest rebel force in north Africa. That reality means blind eyes are sometimes turned to the guerrilla outsiders' presence by a population that shares little of their religious fundamentalist ideology. Diplomats say the resulting denial of intelligence to the state poses a transnational security threat that extends from Kabylie, just 90 minutes' drive east from Algiers, across the Maghreb and north to Europe's Mediterranean shores. With soaring oil prices sparking protests in Europe and worsening a U.S. credit crunch, stability in Algeria has become more important for a Western world thirsty for oil and gas. European Union anti-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said al Qaeda's Maghreb wing has already spread in north Africa. Normally peaceful Morocco and Mauritania have seen an increase in Islamist guerrilla activity and "this could eventually lead to links with logistical networks in the EU, even to operations," he said. Attacks in Algeria last year included al Qaeda suicide bombings in the capital that killed dozens, destroyed U.N. offices and shattered government, judicial and police offices. |
| Posted by:Fred |