Two Decades of Jihad in Algeria: the GIA, the GSPC, and Al-Qaida” Evan F
Two Decades of Jihad in Algeria: the GIA, the www.nefafoundation.org GSPC, and Al-Qaida Evan F. Kohlmann – May 2007 Part I: The Afghan Theater In December 1979, fearing the collapse of communism in Central Asia, the Soviet Union launched a military invasion to restore Soviet control over neighboring Afghanistan. Rather than achieving a quick victory, the Soviets found themselves surrounded by a relentless guerilla adversary. Countless numbers of Afghanis joined the Islamic resistance, which was organized into several native mujahideen organizations with headquarters in Peshawar, Pakistan. The flurry of activity in Peshawar caught the attention the entire Islamic world, far beyond the borders of battered Afghanistan. Groups of foreign Muslims from the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere began trickling into Pakistan—some to provide money and weapons the support the fight, others to join the growing corps of “holy warriors” under the lead of the legendary Palestinian Shaykh Dr. Abdullah Azzam. These early jihadi fighters were of varying nationalities—including Saudis, Egyptians, Yemenis, Libyans, and others. Though the role of Saudis and Egyptians in establishing the Arab- Afghan movement has been the subject of exhaustive examination, groups from other nationalities have played an equally important part—particularly Islamic militants hailing from Algeria. According to the accounts of both Azzam and Usama Bin Laden, in the summer of 1983, the first Arab fighter to be “martyred” in Afghanistan in mid-1983 was “Nouradeen”, an Algerian
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