Overview
Earlier today, a group of 20 Islamist militants in Algeria seized a BP gas field and took 41 people hostage in retaliation for Algeria’s support for the French-led military operations in neighboring Mali. According to Algerian officials, at least two of the hostages have been killed. The hostages include Algerians and foreigners from the United States, Britain, Norway, France and Japan. As of 4:45pm EST, the militants released the Algerian hostages, but the foreigners are still being held. The 20 attackers reportedly approached the BP gas field heavily armed in three unmarked vehicles. Security services surrounded the location to mitigate the situation. The militants, linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), have issued their demands to Algerian authorities, including an end to the offensive in Mali, but the Algerian government said it will not negotiate.
French Operations in Mali
Radical Islamists seized a town, Diabaly, in Mali over the weekend, prompting France to take military action against the militants. Airstrikes began this weekend after dozens of rebels cut off the roads to seize the town and take over its military camp. The airstrikes continued overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday, targeting the town’s training camps, logistical depots, command centers and armored vehicles seized by the jihadists from Malian government forces. There have been no airstrikes inside the residential areas of the town. The move to Diabaly demonstrates the militants’ ability to expand their reach beyond northern Mali, under their control since last April, and brings them closer to the capital city of Bamako. Diabaly has a population of 35,000; many of whom became refugees that left for Niono, a town just 70 kilometers (43 miles) south. There are some residents still inside Diabaly as al Qaeda-linked militants are blocking people from leaving.
The jihadists are reportedly spreading themselves out in Diabaly and avoiding travel in large groups, raising fears that the militants may be using the town’s residents as “human shields.” Troops from France started their ground operations last night and are heading northward toward Diabaly. France has been steadily increasing their forces in Mali, with a current total of about 800 that will soon build to nearly 2,500 troops. According to military officials, French forces are set to engage in direct combat with jihadists at any time within the next two days. The head of France’s military promised that the troops would do their best to ensure the safety of civilians when targeting the jihadists.
Implications
The Algerian government avoided its own armed intervention in northern Mali after militants took control of the land last spring fearing that the fighting would carry over into Algeria. Instead, the government authorized fighter jets from France to cross into Mali through Algerian airspace. The hostage situation in Algeria signifies the solidarity of al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in the region. AQIM in particular has pledged to strike against France’s interests in Africa and abroad. Security in France has been increased at airports, train stations and additional public spaces out of precaution.
Mali-based militant groups like Ansar Dine and MUJWA, working together with members of AQIM, successfully seized control of northern Mali last year without much resistance due to Mali’s small military and enormous size. Some members of the military have defected to fight with the jihadists. Al Qaeda’s affiliates have long used the strategy of taking advantage of political instability to establish footholds. As seen with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, al-Shabaab in Somalia and AQIM in Algeria, militants seize lands and military equipment to attack their respective governments with the hopes of establishing an Islamic state.
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