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C130 Replaces Black Hawk Above Somalia
Remember, Bush-Rice-Rumsfeld and Cheney did it their way in Somalia with a straving attack by C130 gunships. The US failed in their attempt to establish FOB’s in the region. What did it deliver the African continent? More terrorist strikes …
More below the fold …
FRANCE 24 have exclusively obtained never seen before footage that gives a glimpse into the ordinary daily life of al Qaeda militants in North Africa. The raw footage reveals the surprisingly mundane existence of North Africa’s longstanding Islamist insurgency in the vast lawless Sahara territories.
The VIDEO footage has already attracted the attention of counter-terrorism experts.
The images broadcasted by FRANCE 24 were taken from an unedited 50-minute tape found on a young al Qaeda defector in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
“These images were shot by a young man who deserted al Qaeda some months ago. He was arrested by security forces at a regular road checkpoint. When he was arrested, he had with him a weapon, his personal belongings, and this 50-minute tape”, said Cadier.
Life behind the propaganda
The video is clearly not intended for general viewing as the footage depicts the infamous insurgents as an amateurish band of mostly teenagers. The video gives a fascinating insight into the reality of the insurgency behind the propaganda; it shows the feared militant Islamists playing games and sharing jokes. The undated video appears to have been shot by a militant who intended to document their daily lives in the remote southern Sahara desert.
Far from the usual ultimatum and threats delivered by jihadists with their faces covered, the tape shows fresh recruits playing in a riverbed, running races and wrestling in the sand in an almost summer camp type atmosphere. Men of various Arab origins are seen swapping news, socialising, and occasionally waving some old automatic riffles. However, of the 50 men on this film, only a few actually have weapons.
The Algerian militant organization Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, known by its French initials GSPC, officially joined Al Qaeda with the Sept. 11, 2006, announcement by Ayman Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s No. 2. Later, in a January statement, GSPC took on the name Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
