Algeria Grapples with Violence, Deadly Floods
Media Line News Agency
October 10, 2008
Six members of Algeria´s security forces were killed in an ambush last week, the latest attack by Islamists in the country. The six were part of the communal guards, armed citizens who patrol rural areas. They were killed near Tisamsilt, west of the capital Algiers.
The Algerian Al-Khabar newspaper said the attackers were members of Al-Qa´ida in the Islamic Maghreb (QOIM). QOIM has emerged as a prominent terror group and has taken responsibility for several terror attacks in Algeria. It has claimed other smaller-scale attacks in Mauritania and Tunisia.
The organization is a reincarnation of the local Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which was formed during the civil war in Algeria in the 1990s. The group changed its name in January 2007, with the blessing of the international Al-Qa'ida.Algeria is an important ally of the United States in its war against terrorism.
Algiers is also under pressure over recent flash floods that have left more than 31 dead.
Around 5,000 people demonstrated in the Algeria town Ghardaya before they were dispersed by the police on Friday, Al-Jazeera reported. The town is a U.N. World Heritage site located around 600 kilometers (375 miles) south of the capital. Protesters were demanding emergency aid, food supplies and equipment to help search for bodies and survivors trapped under rubble and mud.
The government has sent tents, generators and emergency supplies, but the residents complained these were not arriving quickly enough. State radio reported that in some parts of the town the water levels reached eight meters (26 feet) high. Hundreds were displaced by the floods, which began on Monday, and security people have been deployed in the area to prevent looting, Algeria´s state radio reported.
The Algerian Al-Khabar newspaper said the attackers were members of Al-Qa´ida in the Islamic Maghreb (QOIM). QOIM has emerged as a prominent terror group and has taken responsibility for several terror attacks in Algeria. It has claimed other smaller-scale attacks in Mauritania and Tunisia.
The organization is a reincarnation of the local Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which was formed during the civil war in Algeria in the 1990s. The group changed its name in January 2007, with the blessing of the international Al-Qa'ida.Algeria is an important ally of the United States in its war against terrorism.
Algiers is also under pressure over recent flash floods that have left more than 31 dead.
Around 5,000 people demonstrated in the Algeria town Ghardaya before they were dispersed by the police on Friday, Al-Jazeera reported. The town is a U.N. World Heritage site located around 600 kilometers (375 miles) south of the capital. Protesters were demanding emergency aid, food supplies and equipment to help search for bodies and survivors trapped under rubble and mud.
The government has sent tents, generators and emergency supplies, but the residents complained these were not arriving quickly enough. State radio reported that in some parts of the town the water levels reached eight meters (26 feet) high. Hundreds were displaced by the floods, which began on Monday, and security people have been deployed in the area to prevent looting, Algeria´s state radio reported.
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