Algerian terror group calls for attacks on France.

An Algerian terrorist group is calling on fellow extremists to track and strike government and civilian compatriots in France.
In an Internet message, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat called on its "Muslim brothers in France" to survey, track and "ambush" high-level political, military and economic officials on French soil, Le Figaro reports.
"Our real enemies aren't only the military rulers," the GSPC said in its Internet message reportedly published in early August. "But also numerous civilians known for their allegiance to French leaders."
"Support your brothers in Algeria by tracking these criminals in France," the statement reportedly read.

Extremists threaten Algerians in France

Let me see here, last I checked, France was not part of the Coalition that was apart of removing Saddam or currently operating in Iraq.
The US was hit by terrorists.
Spain was hit by terrorists.
The UK was hit by terrorists.
Germany has been hit in the past by Islamic terrorism.
Now France is being called out for acts of terrorism.
Why?
They wholeheartedly support Palestine.
I guess this is a reprocussion of the invasion of Iraq?
Maybe Afghanistan?
Simply, terrorism just for the sake of terrorism, eh?

I'm sensing a trend here and all the above are Western nations.
Anyone care to enlighten those of us who apparently have blinders on as to what is occurring here?






seekerof

France has long been at the forefront of the battle against Islamic terror. Its primary opponent has been the Group Islamique Arme, an Algerian faction which seeks to replace the current Algerian government with an Islamic one.

Taking the big picture, France has been fighting terror long before the US, or any so-called post-9/11 coalition. The novelty in terms of Islamic terror here isn't that France is being attacked, it's that America was on 9/11.

The current attacks may have smiliar motivations as the GIA, or may instead be a reaction to Frances recent anti-terror legislation. Even since before 9/11, France has had the harshest anti-terror laws in the EU, and that's including Britain with it's IRA-related laws.

The situation is more complex than a simple "If you're not in Iraq and you support Palestine, you won't suffer targetting by Islamic terror groups." France's terror stems from its colonial past and its proximity to the Maghreb. Just because they're not with us in Iraq, doesn't mean they're against us. They're simply fighting the problem in a different context.


-koji K.

[edit on 22-8-2005 by koji_K]

Koji_k,
Thanks for the commentary, but you mentioned something that I was hoping would be mentioned:

France's terror stems from its colonial past and its proximity to the Maghreb.

That was when, Koji_K?
Back in the middle to early 60's that the Algerian War of Independence took place?

See, this gets to one section of the heart of the issue with these Islamic fundamentalist groups and/or organizations. Is or are Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups or organizations justifying their actions based on happenings that occurred back some 50 odd years ago [in respect to the Algerian group]? Would that be along the lines of Islam blaming the European West for the Crusades or vice versa, and then seemingly justifying acts of war or conflict or terrorism because of that past, long ago happening?

Am I the only one seeing the ludicrous oddity in this?






seekerof

[edit on 22-8-2005 by Seekerof]

Sure, they may be using history as some kind of justification for their acts, but who doesn't? I'm not sure I see the oddity. Every nation/group/interest uses history to justify its actions somehow. I see what you mean about the time difference of 50 years, and there would be oddity if the groups were simply out for revenge for something that happened long ago, but this is not a case of "France occupied Algeria, therefore we are justified to commit terrorist acts today." There are many more steps in the reasoning, culminating in the fact that Algeria is not Islamic today and now, and the current Algerian government is propped up by France, or at least perceived to be. (I'm not saying I think that's a bad thing, but it is to these particular terrorists.)

In the big picture everyone traces their justification further and further backwards into time, and the further back you go, the more ludicrous the justification becomes, but you can't ignore the steps closest to the here and now before assuming there's a huge gap in the logic. The closest analogy I can think of right now is the Jews in Israel. It makes no sense that because they lived there thousands of years ago they have some right to be there now, but of course that's not the end of the story. If you speak to an Israeli political historian or some similar academic, they will give you all sorts of more contemporary justifications for the existance of the state of Israel. (And I'm not taking sides here, just using it as an example.)

-koji K.

Algeria of course was at one time a French Colony. When they were granted their independence after a long string of problems much fighting took place some of it even spreading into France itself in the 1950s and 1960s.
In Algeria itself the people voted in a Muslim group into power and after a brief term they decided they didnt like what was happening and voted them out. The people decided they dont want Islamic rule. The Muslims decided they werent going and fighting broke out. Algeria was and is going to be Muslim or else!! Hence the fighting and bombing going on.
The poster is correct when they post that the French have been fighting and dealing with Muslim terrorism much longer than other countrys. There have actually been outbreaks of actual fighting with automatic weapons and hand grenades being used by these muslims in France itself....in the cities. This seems to be supressed or down played information in America. It was America that went to the French after 9/11 to learn what they knew about finding and dealing with these terrorists. There is a Frenchman ..I think a former judge who has worked on terrorist cases longer than most Europeans. It is to this man whom many American "Experts" went for information on these terrorist groups.
Also the killing of this Van Gogh decendent in the Netherlands should have been a wake up call to many ...It certainly did in the Netherlands.
Europe because of its large Muslim population is particularly vulnurable to terrorism.

Thanks ,
Orangetom

I believe the proposed attacks are requested specifically against Algerian leaders which have ‘strayed’ from Islam and are to be perpetrated specifically (through appeals) by Muslims which are residing France.

Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) Calls to the Muslims in France to Assault Algerian Leaders Who Vacation There

….The group entreats the French Muslims to bring them victory by chasing down the Algerian leaders, to “[m]onitor them and ambush them in every road, hunt them down.” They dehumanize the leaders to flies, insisting that the only live in the dirtiest of places, and suggest that they may be found in all the “wicked habitats,” including casinos, nightclubs, and liquor stores. Further, if the French Muslims cannot “eliminate them,” then they are advocated to “launch a campaign between the Islamic communities to scandalize them, expose them, and discomfort them.”

Link to Site, Aug 15, 2005 posting


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Afganistan Flashback

Does anybody here remember the 1990's Algerian Civil War?

Remeber the Armed Islamic Group?

Most of the Members came stright from Afganistan, and were Hardcor Fighters from the Russian-Afganistan War, connected to Al-Qaeda.

And lets not forget that in the Climax of the Russian-Afganistan War, more then 4000 Fighters came right from Algeria to help Osama and his Al-Qaeda in resisting the Russian Invasion.

Interesting where the Roots of International Terrorism always lead to...

you forgot to mention the russian school hostage situation...

Now those guys were participating in an 'act' of terrorism for no reason...Those kids had nothing to do with foreign policy and the relations with the middle east....

pure evil aholes.