View of the wreckage of a car after it exploded Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007 in an eastern suburb of Algiers. A car bomb exploded Tuesday, severely injuring Mustapha Kertali, 55, a former leader of the Islamic Salvation Army, one of several militant groups involved in an insurgency in the North African country in the 1990s, who has in recent years allied himself with efforts by the Algerian president to end extremist violence, security forces said. (AP Photo)
Algeria bomb targets ex-militant
A former Algerian militant leader Mustapha Kertali has been seriously wounded by a car bomb in Larba, 25km south of the capital, Algiers.
His car exploded after he had attended morning prayers at his local mosque.
Mr Kertali, who is in intensive care, worked with various armed groups during Algeria's civil insurgency until a 1999 peace accord, after which he disarmed.
He became a backer of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who granted former Islamist militants amnesty.
The BBC's Mohamed Areski Himeur in Algiers says it is not known who planted the bomb.
It may have been the work of active Islamists who consider him a traitor for giving up the fight, he says.
It could also be committed by relatives of victims of those killed during the time when he headed an armed group.
Parallel mayor
Mr Kertali became mayor of Larba in 1990 for the banned Islamic Salvation Front (Fis), which was later disbanded when the party looked set to win general elections.
Mr Kertali was a member of the Armed Islamist Group (GIA) and then went on to join the armed wing of Fis.
Our correspondent says Mr Kertali has become a well-known personality in Larba after returning to civilian life, acting as a kind of parallel mayor.
An estimated 150,000 people died in a decade of civil unrest after the elections were cancelled.
Insecurity has been increasing in Algeria, and across North Africa, since the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) re-launched itself as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb at the beginning of this year.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/6946126.stm
Published: 2007/08/14 13:17:29 GMT
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Mustapha Kertali, 55, a former leader of the Islamic Salvation Army, one of several militant groups involved in an insurgency in the North African country in the 1990s, is seen in Algeria in this June 18, 2007 file photo. A car bomb exploded Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007 in an eastern suburb of Algeria's capital, Algiers, severely injuring Kertali, who has in recent years allied himself with efforts by the Algerian president to end extremist violence, security forces said. (AP Photo)
Car bomb badly injures reformed former Algerian militant leader
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
ALGIERS, Algeria: A car bomb exploded Tuesday in an eastern suburb of Algeria's capital, severely wounding a former militant leader who has supported efforts in recent years by the president to end extremist violence, security forces said.
Mustapha Kertali had completed morning prayers in Larbaa near his home when the bomb detonated in his car, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. He was in critical condition at a nearby hospital.
Kertali, 55, was a former leader of the Islamic Salvation Army, one of several militant groups involved in an insurgency in the North African country in the 1990s. It was disbanded as part of a 1999 accord with the government.
Since then, Kertali went into business and has been an outspoken supporter of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's amnesty programs aimed at ending violence that erupted in 1992 when the military canceled a legislative election that an Islamist party was set to win.
Up to 200,000 people have been killed in the bloodshed. While large-scale violence has died down, scattered attacks have continued — largely by a former insurgent group now known as al-Qaida in North Africa.
Meanwhile, police said Tuesday that a bomb killed three military officers during a sweep aimed at rooting out extremists from a forested region east of Algiers. The bombing occurred in the Amdjoudh forest Sunday, according to a police official in the regional capital, Tizi-Ouzou.
The officers had been looking for extremists believed linked to the al-Qaida group who were suspected of plotting attacks around the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in mid-September, the official said.
Algeria: Ex-militant group leader wounded in blast
Mustafa KertaliA former Algerian Islamist leader Mustafa Kertali has been seriously injured by a car bomb in Larba, 25km south of the capital, Algiers. According to press reports, his car went off after he had attended morning prayers at his local mosque.
Kertali, who was evacuated to intensive care, worked with various armed groups during Algeria's civil war until a 1999 peace accord, after which he disarmed. According to the BBC, he became a backer of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The report suggested the latest attack may have been the work of active Islamists who consider Kertali a traitor for giving up the fight.
Born in 1946, he was elected FIS mayor of Larba in 1991. After the military banned FIS, he joined the Armed Islamic Group in fighting the government, becoming an emir. In late 1995, however, he left it - motivated, he claimed, by its atrocities, and objecting to the new leadership of Djamel Zitouni.
© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Bomb attack seriously injures FIS leader
magharebia.com - Aug 15, 2007
15/08/2007
A car bomb seriously wounded the founder and former senior member of the banned Algerian Salvation Islamist Front (FIS) Mustapha Kartali on Tuesday (August 14th), Algerian and international press reports said. Kartali’s car exploded when he was driving on his way back from a mosque in Larbaa. His leg was amputated in the hospital, but there was no danger to his life, local media quoted Madani Mezrag, another former FIS leader as saying. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
In other news, El Watan and Ech Chourouk quoted security sources as saying on Wednesday that suicide bomber Zubeir Abu Sajida, involved in the deadly Algiers attacks on April 11th, has been arrested. Thirty-four people were killed and more than 200 others injured in the attacks on the Government Palace and a police station in an Algiers suburbs. Abu Sajida, who was born in 1973 in the province of Tiaret, was previously seen in a video tape broadcast by al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb claiming responsibility for the attacks.
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