It is a battle of destiny for infidels — if only more knew how serious it is. “Algerian-based Islamists threaten more suicide attacks,” by Andrew England for the Financial Times:
An Algerian-based Islamist group with links to al-Qaeda has threatened to carry out more suicide attacks in the region in a video message that is likely to heighten concerns about threats from militants in north Africa.
In the video, which was broadcast by al-Jazeera, the Arab satellite network, Abu Musab Abdul-Wadud, described as a leader of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, urged more Muslims to join the group as suicide bombers saying “the list of martyrdom-seekers has become long and is growing every day.”
The video purportedly showed footage of an attack in Algiers last month and what appeared to be militants making bombs. A suicide attack on the prime minister’s office on April 11 and two others targeting a police station the same day killed 33
people.
“We have decided to adopt the style of martyrdom operations in the confrontation with our enemies from now on,” said Mr Abdul-Wadud, a thickset, heavily bearded man dressed in combat fatigues. “This is a crusader war on Islam and a battle of
destiny between the infidels and believers so do not miss out.”
He said the group had issued instructions for the selection of targets “that achieves the goals of jihad.”
Al Qaeda in Maghreb was previously known as GSPC, a French acronym for the Salafi Group for Predication and Combat, but recently re-branded and associated itself with the wider al-Qaeda network. It claimed responsibility for the April attacks.
Western and North African officials have expressed concerns that the organisation is reaching out to other extremist in the region and conducting small, mobile training camps in remote desert regions. Before the April attacks, only one suicide bombing
had been conducted in Algeria during a 10-year insurgency.