By William Tucker
Officials of the French embassy in Bamako, Mali have confirmed that a small explosion occurred near the front gates of the embassy compound. According to the AFP, a man armed with a gun and a grenade threw an explosive device at the compound entrance leaving two people injured. The perpetrator was arrested immediately after the incident. Although no terrorist group or criminal entity has claimed responsibility for the attack it is highly likely that this was done on behalf of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb as this type of attack has been carried out by the group in the recent past.
AQIM has bad a bevy of problems since it declared its allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2006. The group did manage to launch numerous deadly attacks throughout Algeria from 2006 to 2009, but has failed to maintain the high operational tempo in 2010. Much of this decline can be attributed to the improved counterterrorist capabilities within the Algerian government, but infighting within AQIM has also played a significant role. As such, the group’s high profile attacks have declined to the point of individuals carrying out armed assaults against symbolic targets and the kidnapping of foreign nationals. For the last two years AQIM’s leader, Abdelmalek Droukdel, has not been able to quell the dissent in his ranks and is facing a challenge from Abdelhamid Abu Zeid who typically operates in the southern reaches of the Maghreb. In fact, Abu Zeid has been credited as the mastermind behind the recent spate of kidnappings of foreign nationals.
The biggest challenge for AQIM may yet be on the horizon. On December 10, 2010, Al Jazeera reported that Droukdel, along with twelve other militants, were killed in an Algerian military operation in the northern Tizi Ouzou region. The source for the story was the Algerian military, but AQIM has not responded to the charge and the large scale military operation in Tizi Ouzou is ongoing. The latest news is that the Algerian military has killed 50 suspected militants in the region as of December 30, 2010 and DNA identification is ongoing. If Droukdel was indeed killed in the operation the ensuing leadership struggle will create a dynamic that would be worth watching. In the meantime the small scale attacks and kidnapping can be expected to continue.
Photo of Abdelmalek Droukdel: AFP
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