The US Embassy in Algiers warned that a “terrorist group” may attack near US-owned or operated hotels in Algeria on July 4 (US Independence Day) or July 5 (Algeria’s Independence Day). A Tunisian official recently told an Algerian news outlet that Mokhtar Belmokhtar a.k.a. Belaouer is currently in Libya, where he is allegedly trying to control North African jihadist activity and has recruited fighters returning from Syria.

Islamic banking rebrands in attempt to go mainstream

Security forces dismantled a terrorist cell in El Oued in Souf, near the Tunisian border, that was financing jihadists across the border in Kasserine. Eleven people were arrested and 115,000 euros was seized during the raid.

Algerians fear FIS comeback

At least 11 policemen were injured in clashes in the Saharan city of Ghardiaia over the weekend. Fighting between Malakites and Ibadites has raged in the area since December, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 400; some blame religious extremists, including Salafists, for the ongoing conflict. Foreign Minister Lamamra claimed that Algeria is making “huge efforts” to secure its borders, but replied evasively when questioned about the presence of jihadists in Algeria.

Tunisia in the Libyan tempest

Tensions spike in northern Mali

Algeria considers Egypt alliance to confront Libyan terror threat

Algeria shuts Libya border

Algeria repatriates state oil workers from Libya over security fears

President Bouteflika called for the “utmost vigilance” against terrorism and urged support for the military’s ongoing efforts, in the wake of “a dangerous infiltration attempt by a heavily armed terrorist group, whose elements are from Mali, Libya, and Tunisia” that was recently foiled by security forces near Tinzaouatine in Tamanrasset. The operation is ongoing. On May 1, France deported an Algerian jihadist who was arrested by Turkish police along with five other would-be fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham as they traveled on a bus toward Aleppo.

The Defense Ministry announced that 10 militants have been killed so far in an ongoing operation in Tamanrasset. Security forces also seized 12 Kalashnikovs, an RPG-7 rocket launcher, a GP58 grenade launcher, three ATVs, two motorcycles, and other items, including ammunition. Weapons were also found buried in the Col of Anai area.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the April 19 ambush of an Algerian army convoy near Tizi Ouzou in Kabylie. The latest US State Department worldwide terrorism report said that in 2013 Algerian forces had “decreased the number of successful terrorist attacks, sustained pressure on AQMI group’s Algeria-based leadership … and further isolated AQMI.”

Prior to 9/11, Abu Qatada inspired numerous al Qaeda operatives. Now imprisoned in Jordan, he is providing ideological guidance to jihadists in Syria and North Africa.
A roadside bomb attack on a gendarmerie patrol killed two policemen and a civilian in Chabet El Ameur southeast of Boumerdes, the first attack in the town in nearly five years. Security sources estimate that fewer than 20 members of the al Qaeda-affiliated GSPC remain in Boumerdes province. The military killed two Islamists and seized rifles and grenades during a raid in Gouraya in Tipaza province last week. The Minister of Religious Affairs pardoned 30 imams in eastern Algeria who had refused to perform funeral prayers after the crash of a military plane in the area that killed 77 people,…

Tunisian premier vows terror crackdown

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters killed 11 Algerian soldiers and wounded 11 more in an ambush in Tizi Ouzou. The Defense Ministry said 37 militants have been killed in Algeria since January.

Al Qaeda propaganda targets Algeria vote

Algerian city of Ghardaia on knife’s edge

Thousands join rare Algeria rally

Security forces killed three suspected terrorists in the mountainous Kabylie region yesterday, and seven others were reportedly killed over the weekend after they entered the country from Tunisia. An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander was killed recently in Tizi Ouzou. Seven people have died in clashes between Arabs and Berbers in the historic city of Gardhaia. Deputy Defense Minister Saleh vowed that security forces would purge Algeria of criminal terrorism.

Searching for Al Qaeda in Lebanon (I): Coming of Age

Today security forces shot and killed three Islamist terrorists in Sidi Ali Bounab in the Kabylie region, an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb stronghold, and confiscated arms and ammunition. Security forces yesterday shot and killed an Islamist terrorist in an area between Boumerdes and Tizi-Ouzou, and seized a firearm and three bombs. A young man in Tizi-Ouzou lost a leg after stepping on an IED targeting security forces; a bomb in Afir was dismantled by security forces.

The army intercepted a shipment of 40 missiles, including Katyusha rockets and a number of surface-to-air Strela missiles, that was traveling from Libya toward Illizi. The weapons, which were being shipped by the “Southerners Movement for Justice” terrorist group headed by Abdul Salam Tarmone, were destroyed along with two vehicles.

Timbuktu waits for peace dividend

Algeria leads effort against terror financing

Porous borders threaten Tunisia

A senior intelligence officer was accused of forming a criminal gang, arms trafficking, and committing grave security lapses that led to the In Amenas terrorist attack in 2013. An Algerian military transport plane crashed in the mountains in Oum El Bouaghi, killing 103 passengers; the crash is being blamed on bad weather. Prime Minister Sellal announced Algeria’s support for the creation of AFRIPOL, an organization that would increase cooperation among the police of the African Union countries in confronting terrorism and organized crime, so as to eliminate the need for foreign intervention. Despite joining the UN’s Human Rights Council in…

A young man was killed and 30 people were injured in clashes in the southern province of Ghardaia. Since the clashes started over a month ago, at least 200 people have been injured, including 50 security force members, and over 80 buildings have been torched.

Feature: Precarious calm in Algeria’s strife-hit Ghardaia /a>
