Path: news.cs.columbia.edu!newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu!flute.clari.net!soprano.clari.net!clarinews
X-Fn: bk/Qalgeria-binladen.RQIk_9FF
Distribution: cl-2,cl-3,cl-edu,cl-4,cl-corp,cl-be
X-No-Archive: yes
From: C-afp@clari.net (AFP)
Newsgroups: clari.world.africa.northwestern,clari.world.mideast+africa
Subject: Bin Laden held to be behind an armed Algerian Islamic movement
Organization: Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
Message-ID: <Qalgeria-binladenURQIk_9FF@clari.net>
Lines: 69
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 5:42:35 PST
ACategory: international
Slugword: Algeria-BinLaden
Threadword: algeria
Priority: regular
Approved: e.news@clari.net
Xref: news.cs.columbia.edu clari.world.africa.northwestern:7074 clari.world.mideast+africa:40915

  	  				 
   ALGIERS, Feb 15 (AFP) - Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden,  
sought by the United States as a dangerous terrorist, is behind an 
armed Moslem movement active in Algeria, one of its ex-members said, 
according to Monday's press. 
   The claim against Bin Laden, held to have masterminded the  
bombings of two US embassies in Africa last year which killed more 
than 200 people, was made in a court on Sunday by Mohamed Berrached, 
on trial for kidnapping and executing six people in northeastern 
Algeria. 
   Berrachad told a tribunal in Tizi Ouzou, chief town of the  
Kabylie area, that Bin Laden had urged one fundamentalist leader 
Hassan Hattab to set up the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat 
(GSPC) to give a "better image of the Jihad" (holy war) against 
Algeria's secular authorities. 
   The "repenter" Berrachad had worked for Hattab, who is himself a  
dissident from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the most hardline of 
the movements up in arms since the 1992 cancellation of general 
elections the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was poised to 
win. 
   In his testimony, Berrachad said that Bin Laden and Hattab  
communicated by satellite telephone and that he had heard their 
conversations, said to hinge on the discrediting of Antar Zouabri's 
GIA by its savage massacres of civilians. 
   The GSPC has concentrated its own attacks on members of the  
security forces and other representatives of the state and has 
generally rejected the slaughter of civilians, though it is held to 
be responsible for murders at roadblocks set up in the Kabylie 
region. 
   Berrached first joined the GIA in 1993 and turned himself in the  
summer of 1998. 
   He also told the court that Libyans and Moroccans took part in  
ambushes and killings by the GIA and that members of the group 
underwent training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon. Algerian media 
have several times reported the presence of foreigners among the 
Islamic extremists and President Liamine Zeroual has spoken of 
"mercenaries". 
   In the last 10 days, the Algerian army has been undertaking a  
major search and destroy operation against GSPC guerrillas, reports 
said. 
   The alleged terrorist mastermind Bin Laden has disappeared and  
may have left Afghanistan, according to the Taliban there, but the 
claim was greeted Sunday with caution by Britain and the United 
States. 
   A Pakistani intelligence source told AFP that Bin Laden, who has  
been living under Taliban protection in Afghanistan, was spotted on 
Afghan soil near the Iranian border Friday. 
   Bin Laden was believed to have been living in the southern city  
of Kandahar, the Taliban's de facto base, since the United States 
last year launched missile strikes against his camps in 
Afghanistan. 
-=-=-	 
		   C O P Y R I G H T * R E M I N D E R 	

   This article is Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse.  
   All articles in the clari.* news hierarchy are Copyrighted and licensed  
to ClariNet Communications Corp. for distribution.  Except for articles 
in the biz.clarinet newsgroups, only paid subscribers may access 
these articles. Any unauthorized access, reproduction or transmission 
is strictly prohibited. 
   We offer a reward to the person who first provides us with  
information that helps stop those who distribute or receive our news 
feeds without authorization.  Please send reports to reward@clari.net. 
[Use info@clari.net for sales or other inquiries.] 

   Details on the use of ClariNet material and other info can be found in  
the user documentation section of <<our web page>> <http://www.clari.net>. 
  	   	

