Tunisia: Al-Qaeda Linked To Jebel Chaambi Militants
http://www.eurasiareview.com/08052013-tunisia-al-qaeda-linked-to-jebel-chaambi-militants/
By Magharebia
By Yasmin Najjar
Tunisian security forces arrested 37 suspects connected to jihadist violence
in Jebel Chaambi, the interior ministry revealed on Tuesday (May 7th).
Interior ministry spokesperson Mohamed Ali Aroui also said the remaining
militants belonged to the Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, which is linked to
al-Qaeda. He made the announcement at a joint press conference with defence
ministry spokesperson Mokhtar Ben Nasr.
The arrests included armed militants as well as elements that supplied
logistic support, according to Aroui. Ten suspects were captured in Kef,
while the rest were rounded up in Kasserine.
He stressed that the security forces and the army have full knowledge of the
names and nationalities of the militants holed up in Kasserine and Kef.
He pointed out that the number of militants at large was between 10 and 15
terrorists in Kef and 20 in the Jebel Chaambi area of Kasserine, including
11 Algerians.
Aroui confirmed that the army and security forces were working very hard to
eliminate these terrorist groups in co-ordination with Algeria and Libya.
"The armed elements holed up in Jebel Chaambi on the border with Algeria
received logistic assistance of water, food and clothing from Tunisians
sympathetic to them, which serves as evidence of the presence of an
incubator for those insurgents who are believed to belong to al-Qaeda,"
defence ministry spokesperson Ben Nasr said.
Meanwhile a fourth land mine exploded on Monday morning in Jebel Chaambi,
seriously wounding three army corporals. One of them, from the elite brigade
of the fort of Bizerte in northern Tunisia, lost a leg. The second from the
same brigade lost his eyes and sustained injuries to his face while the
injuries of the third soldier were not determined.
"There is co-ordination with the Algerian authorities at both the field and
intelligence levels to capture the terrorists who sought refuge in Jebel
Chaambi," the defence ministry spokesman said.
He explained that "the mines that exploded were made of ammonium nitrate
fertilizer and flammable materials that can easily explode when exposed to
heat."
Journalist Nabil Zaghdoud commented that "nothing has changed" since the
clashes with terrorists in Soliman several years ago.
"However, they were unable to this day to eliminate these terrorists and the
reason is the absence of a political and sovereign decision to eliminate
them and eradicate their roots with iron and fire," he added. Sadok Chourou,
an Ennahda leader known as a hardliner, called for a dialogue between the
government and the armed Islamists, a proposal that raised eyebrows.
Political analyst Anis Mansouri answered Chourou by saying that he was
calling for "recognising the terrorists as a political party that the
government sits with for dialogue".
"Their demands are the application of Sharia law, crucifixion of highwaymen,
and to excommunicate as many as possible. In short, they would convert
Tunisia into Afghanistan or Sudan," Mansouri added, stressing, "No dialogue
and no democracy with the enemies of democracy and with those who call for
violence, exercise it, justify it or defend it."
However, Ennahda chief Rachid Ghannouchi took a more moderate tone in
remarks posted on the party's official Facebook page.
"We salute the heroes of the national army, the police and civil society in
confronting terrorist acts and all young Islamists must know that fighting a
Muslim is a heresy, debauchery and one of the greatest crimes."
Ghannouchi added, "Our police force is Muslim and so is our army and
society; this so-called jihad has no place here."
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