Twin bombings kill 11; former militant asks al-Qaeda to stop shedding Algerian blood

20/08/2008

Twin explosions in Bouira on Wednesday left eleven dead after another day of deadly terrorist attacks in Algeria. The bombings prompted former GSPC leader Hassan Hattab to call for an end to the bloodshed.

By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 20/08/08

[Said Jameh] Following a second day of suicide attacks in Algeria, political analysts say al-Qaeda is trying to paralyse counter-terrorism operations.

Less than 24 hours after a suicide bombing at an Algerian police training academy killed 43 young recruits on August 19th, two near-simultaneous attacks in Bouira left 12 civilians dead and dozens injured on Wednesday morning. In response to the recent escalation in violence, former Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) leader Hassan Hattab for the first time addressed the new generation of al-Qaeda fighters and asked them to lay down their arms.

Algeria National Radio said that around 6 am, a suicide bomber drove a car towards the Bouira sector military headquarters. When guards opened fire, he detonated the vehicle, injuring four soldiers and damaging the outer façade of the barracks. Within minutes, a suicide bomber outside the Hotel Sofi drove into a bus that was transporting workers for Canadian company SNC Lavalin. 11 passengers and passers-by were killed.

The two attacks caused renewed anxiety among the people of the province, who expressed their denunciation of these attacks.

Bouira resident Faycel Berriche told Magharebia that the terrorists confirmed one more time that they weren't defending a political project as they claimed. Rather, their primary purpose was to "sow despair among the people and kill the glimmer of hope they started to feel".

Political analyst Kamel Mensari said that for many, the recent escalation in violence has sparked fears of a return of the savagery Algeria witnessed in the 1990s.

The terrorists are capitalising on the anxiety. By targeting Army officers and soldiers, police and gendarmerie, al-Qaeda is trying to paralyse counter-terrorism intelligence operations and separate the Algerian people from the country's security forces, Mensari told Magharebia.

The terrorists may have been inspired by the methods adopted by al-Qaeda in Iraq, he added.

The world community was quick to rally behind Algeria during this wave of attacks. The United Nations strongly condemned the suicide bombing yesterday in Issers and urged the international community to support the effort of the Algerian government to combat terrorism. NATO said it will continue to work with Algeria to fight the scourge of terrorism. EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner was quoted as saying that "Algeria can count on Europe for its support in the fight against terrorism", and US State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the attack was "another reminder of terrorism, can hit any place, anytime, anywhere".

Nobody has claimed responsibility so far, but previous attacks have been claimed by al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb.

In response to the horrific suicide bombing yesterday, former GSPC leader Hassan Hattab spoke out for the first time since his September 2007 surrender and called on al-Qaeda elements to lay down their arms and return to their families and communities.

"We have gone before you on the same path," Hattab addressed those considering taking up armed fighting, adding that such action "wouldn't achieve anything".

The former emir called on al-Qaeda elements hiding in the mountains to be guided by fatwas which forbid the shedding of Algerians' blood: "I advise you, my brothers, to follow in the footsteps of your brothers who preceded you in this field, who have more experience in it, and to positively respond to the scholars of our ummah, as they are the inheritors of prophets."

Hattab quit the leadership of the GSPC in 2003 following severe differences with Abdelmalek Droukdel over the legitimacy of targeting civilians. In 2007, the group changed its name to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Yesterday's suicide bombing claimed another victim this morning, bringing the death toll to 44. The latest victim succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Tizi Ouzou.

Mohamed Zeroual was the 22-year-old nephew of former Algerian President Liamine Zeroual, local press reported. He had come from Batna to enrol at the training academy and was waiting with other young men when the bomber ploughed into the crowd.