Algeria: The Great Islamic Terrorist Roundup Continues

[Valin]

Strategy Page:

February 13, 2015:

 

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There has been no violent Islamic terrorist activity so far this year. That is a continuation of a decade long trend. There are still plenty of Algerian Islamic terrorists in the region but they find it easier and safer to operate anywhere but Algeria. So Algerian Islamic terrorists show up in neighboring countries and in Europe. Algeria continues to push a policy of strong border security and non-intervention in the unrest tearing neighboring Libya apart and keeping northern Mali a constant target of Islamic terrorist violence. To help this along the government continues to sponsor Mali peace talks in Algeria. The current talks featured the personal participation of the Mali prime minister for the first time. These talks have been making slow progress because of the reluctance of the majority of Malians (black Africans in the south) to grant the degree of autonomy the lighter skinned Arab and Tuareg minority in the north want. Getting the Mali prime minister personally involved is seen as a step forward but there is still no final agreement.

 

Algerian efforts to get the warring parties in Libya talking have so far failed, although Italy has joined Algeria in trying to get such talks going. Egypt sees Libyan peace talks as futile and counterproductive because the Islamic terrorist factions really have no interest in compromising. Nevertheless Algeria and most Western nations (especially the EU) see a negotiated settlement as the best way to deal with the Libya civil war. Algeria, Italy, the United States and the UN are trying to persuade Egypt, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Qatar to drop their support for more secular (and non-terrorist) pro-Tobruk factions fighting in Libya.

 

The increased Algerian border security has led to more arrests, but almost all of those caught are smugglers, not Islamic terrorists. Most of the smugglers are moving consumer goods (cheap fuel, expensive alcohol and low level drugs like cannabis, for use in Algeria) and illegal migrants headed for Europe. More valuable shipments like drugs headed for Europe (cocaine and heroin), precious metals (usually gold), illegal weapons (especially large quantities of explosives, RPGs and assault rifles), illegal migrants (who can afford to pay high fees) and known Islamic terrorists are rarely caught. This indicates that the high-end smugglers still have their arrangements with border security commanders to allow smugglers who can pay large bribes to get through without interference. The border guards have incentives to catch smugglers as they get some of the value of the seized vehicles (usually expensive all-terrain models) and cargo.

 

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