The Russian oil and gas firm, Stroytransgaz, lost four workers on Saturday, March 3, 2007, when a bus carrying 21 employees drove over two land mines . The North African terrorist group, the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AOIM), previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC, Previous Report) claimed the attack (along with two separate attacks this weekend) on Monday. Saturday’s attack marks the second of its kind in recent months. The AOIM conducted a similar attack on the Brown and Root Condor (BRC) Company, a subsidiary of Halliburton, in December 2006 . The spike in attacks this past weekend and the shift to target foreigners in Algeria indicate the strength of the group’s alignment with al-Qaeda.
Following the Leader
When the AOIM announced its name change in January 2007, the message accompanying the announcement was that the group would take the lead in organizing an al-Qaeda hub in North Africa. The AOIM would be comprised of Islamic militants from surrounding North African countries, namely Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Libya. In recent months, North Africa has witnessed an increase in terrorist activities. The AOIM has successfully conducted a striking number of terrorist attacks in Algeria, managed to recruit a significant amount of Islamic militants from Morocco and Tunisia, and successfully operated a growing number of training camps in Morocco and Algeria. This is not to say that security forces are not keeping up with these militants. Terrorists have been arrested across North Africa on an almost weekly basis since November 2006 (Previous Report). We believe Algeria’s vast and scarcely patrolled desert borders host a large training camp for militants to perfect their operations before launching them on other larger targets in Europe (Previous Report). With the success rate, efficiency level, and reputation the AOIM currently enjoys, it is no wonder their numbers are increasing and their fingerprints are found on virtually every attack or foiled plot that spans across North Africa or in pockets of Western Europe.
Traditionally, the AOIM has attacked police stations and other security institutions in Algeria. In addition to the Stroytransgaz attack, the AOIM also launched two other attacks on Algerian security forces over the weekend (Terrorist Incident, Terrorist Incident). The Algerian security forces served as target practice for the AOIM whereas targeting foreign oil-and-gas workers has served a higher purpose in the eyes of big-boss al-Qaeda.
Since the AOIM officially merged with al-Qaeda in September last year, the group has adopted a number of strategic elements to their violent campaign, signifying a shift in the group’s ideology that is more in line with al-Qaeda. It is clear from AOIM’s attacks in recent months that the historically localized rebel group has expanded its target range to include foreigners and their respective enterprises, particularly oil and gas. The target expansion commenced during the time al-Qaeda ordered Islamic militants to target Western economic institutions, such as oil-and-gas infrastructures (Previous Report). The AOIM’s attack on BRC employees in December 2006 was the first attack that conformed to al-Qaeda’s orders and came shortly after the group pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden (Previous Report). Saturday’s attack on Stroytransgaz’s employees strengthens the argument that the AOIM is aligning its motives and goals with al-Qaeda.
Far Reaching Implications
If the AOIM continues to progress in such a manner, the outcome could potentially result in an influx of young and energetic Islamists from neighboring countries ready to fight alongside the group. We believe the AOIM will continue to carry out such attacks on the Algerian government in the near term and will likely conduct similar attacks in neighboring countries in the future. It is clear that the AOIM is currently flexing its robust capabilities that it has been developing and enjoying since their merge with al-Qaeda. Since Algeria provides the AOIM with a double benefit (training camps and effective target practice), the group will likely continue to carry out its operations predominantly in country in order to perfect its skills and continue to grow in size and strength. Although regional police forces are doing their part in stepping up security measures, we believe it will take a long, consistent, and trans-national counter-terrorism force to effectively deter these terrorists from pushing their jihad even further.