Al Qaeda and global terrorism continuing its seethe against civilizations and upfront attack on the people has found its latest abode in the relatively peaceful Algeria. Following the typical methods it adopted to ravage Afghanistan and Iraq, the two masterful suicide attacks were carried by the Al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb, the hydra-headed hood of terrorism claimed about twenty lives on Thursday. The western-inclined Government of Algeria was just saved as the suicide bombers missed the target intended to kill the President and blow up the Prime Minister’s office on Saturday. But, notwithstanding the failure to assassinate top political echelon the civilian causality touched fifty.
Al Qaeda is eyeing Algeria to carry its message of violence across Europe and America and the country seems to be paying the price of being pro-western, particularly with many of the anti-western links residing in the country sending a helping hand to Al Qaeda. Is Al Qaeda tightening its hold on Africa by victimizing Algeria?
Algeria seems to be increasingly becoming a victim of violence, terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, ripping apart peace from the Muslim African nation having close links with the west. By terrorizing, attacking and sabotaging Algeria, is the Al Qaeda opening its own gateway to Europe from the country, which is Africa’s passage to the west? More importantly, helping it in its heinous terror records in Algeria are few of the anti-national and anti-west forces that derive their inspiration from the Al Qaeda ideology of terrorizing the West for its perceived attacks on Islam. Such groups are certainly proving to be definite Al Qaeda aides in the country. Though, the patriot citizens of the country have come forward in criticizing the suicide attacks in the country, dubbing the terrorist as not Muslims and completely going in support for the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was the prime target of the attacks.
Algeria looks an easy target for the terror outfits that wish to revive the bloody civil war between the Salafist preachers, a previous incarnation of Islamic Maghreb and the western backed administration that ravaged the country in 1990s and vanquished more than 10000 people. Though, the conflict ended in 1997, the rising graph of Al Qaeda menace in Algeria exactly after 10 years is sure to create panic among the population frightened by prospective terror attacks and revival of conflicts.
After the war on terrorism began, North Africa is posing to be one of the safest heavens for Al Qaeda that was nearly driven out of Afghanistan by the NATO forces. First Sudan, Egypt, Somalia and now Algeria is forced to drag into the unholy war zone created by the global terror forces. As Ayaman AlZawahari, the second-in-command in Al Qaeda ranks belongs to North Africa (Egypt), it is getting easier for the terror outfits to garner men, material and money from their North African sources to extend their militant base. Once the Al Qaeda tightens its hold on North Africa, it can very easily sneak into Europe to give airs to its unholy war designs. Also, any attempt to destabilize Algeria having close affinity and deep cultural and economic relations with Europe since the French colonial days, would have serious ramifications on Europe, as it may affect the tourism and international trade through the Mediterranean that connects the east and the west. The choking of the Mediterranean may also disrupt the oil and army supplies from and to the US.
Such a volatile situation in North Africa can easily penetrate the African continent, which can be terribly exploited by Al Qaeda in planning its terror plots for the world, as Africa positions itself as a gateway to the world, connecting Europe and Asia through land. Africa is already under immense pressure from internal strife, poverty, hunger and disease and if terrorism infiltrates throughout the land, no saving the poor Africans, who can be effortlessly exploited for money and material wealth. The time to put breaks on the growing Al Qaeda links in North Africa is now, else it is going to be very late and then the enormity of the situation would only be guessed.
Via: CNN
