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Al-Qaeda Extends Reach from Iraq to Algeria

[Washington Post] Craig Whitlock - Al-Qaeda has rapidly extended its influence across North Africa by aiding and organizing local groups that are demonstrating a renewed ability to launch terrorist attacks in the region. The bombers who struck the Government Palace and a police station in Algiers last month, killing 33 people, are believed to have been local residents. But Algerian authorities are examining evidence that the bombers were siphoned from recruiting pipelines that have sent hundreds of North African fighters to Iraq and perhaps were trained by veterans of the Iraqi insurgency. "Al-Qaeda's presence in North Africa is a reality," said Baltasar Garzon, a senior Spanish magistrate. "It's an ideal base from which to engage in actions against Europe....Moving their next phase of action to Europe, I think, is just a matter of time."
2007-05-30 01:00:00
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