ANSAR AL-ISLAM IN THE MUSLIM SAHARA: NEW TERRORIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ALGIERS 001000

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2017
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL PINR AG
SUBJECT: ANSAR AL-ISLAM IN THE MUSLIM SAHARA: NEW TERRORIST
KID PLAYING IN THE MAGHREB SANDBOX?

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Thomas F. Daughton
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Our Algerian contacts are witholding their
final judgment about a new, little-known terrorist group
that calls itself Ansar al-Islam in the Muslim Sahara
(AIMS). The group publicly professed its allegiance to
Algeria's premier terrorist group, al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM),on July 1 via an internet website. While
claiming AQIM allegiance, AIMS's announcement focused
mainly on fighting the Moroccan government. Its subsequent
message then focused on Maghreb-wide targets and the
extinction of the Jews. Changing focus again, AIMS's newly
launched website presents anti-American videos that tug at
the core of Islamic values and target those willing to
fight "apostates" in Iraq. Although AIMS pledged devotion
to AQIM leader Droukdal, AQIM has not made any public
acknowledgement of the group. It is unclear whether AIMS
is merely jumping on the al-Qaeda bandwagon to seek
increased funding and fame, or if it is a machination of
regional intelligence services. The website's mixed
messaging and shoddy production quality have our contacts
leaning towards the latter. END SUMMARY.

Allegiance to AQIM or Moroccan Jihadists?


2. (C) On July 1 AIMS, an alleged North African jihadist
group connected to the Western Sahara, published on its
website www.sahara.6te.net (and also on closed membership
website www.alhesbah.org) a statement of its allegiance to
AQIM and its leader, Abdelmalek Droukdal. Narrating, an
unnamed spokesman called for an AQIM victory against all
common enemies -- the Moroccan government, agents of the
French, crusaders, and (rather uniquely) the Polisario
Front. The spokesman warned Muslims to stay away from
government buildings and military installations to avoid
the spilling of Muslim blood. He also vowed that AIMS
would not be limited to the Muslim desert. Contrary to
press reports that claimed the AIMS spokesman was
Mauritanian, native Arabic-speaking Embassy employees
concurred on July 2 that he spoke with a heavy Moroccan
accent.

AIMS WEBSITE - www.sahara.6te.net


3. (U) The AIMS website displays 9 sections of which
"Newsflash" and "Pictures" are the most inflammatory,
playing on Muslims' sense of honor and anti-American
sentiment. Our contacts question the website's
authenticity, pointing out inconsistencies in messaging,
dissemination and production. Some examples follow.

Mixed Messaging?


4. (C) Curiously, the July 1 announcement was immediately
followed by a mixed message on July 2 in which the
spokesman called for support and unity in the Ummah and
urged courage against conspiracies orchestrated by Jews and
crusaders. The majority of the 25-minute message consisted
of rambling Qur'anic verse. Six minutes were dedicated to
images of President Bush meeting with Moroccan King
Mohammed VI, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika,
Tunisian President Ben Ali and Libya's Mu'ammar Qadhafi --
all against a backdrop of burning flames. Echourouk
el-Youmi editor Anis Rahmani (protect) told PolOffs July 8
that AIMS' inconsistent messaging raised immediate
suspicion. Since the initial announcement was geared
toward fighting the Moroccan government, Rahmani surmised
that the Moroccan intelligence services had created it.


5. (C) Rahmani asserted that the AIMS website is less
sophisticated than AQIM's and al-Qaeda's websites, which
are more consistent in production and messaging. He
claimed that AQIM's website design is outsourced to Europe,
where there is an abundance of expertise. Lacking action
videos, the AIMS website is full of still photos set to
jihadi music and commentary. AIMS's website does provide
links to al-Qaeda's website, offering access to high
production videos on fighting in Iraq. However, a
cross-check of al-Qaeda and AQIM websites indicated that
neither group has publicly acknowledged AIMS. (Comment: In

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addition, the AIMS website is not linked to al-Fajr Media
Center (www.w-n-n.com),which appears to be al-Qaeda's
official internet dissemination conduit for al-Qaeda and
its affiliates (like AQIM). End Comment).

Call to Join the Fight in Iraq


6. (U) A video segment dated December 17, 2004, shows a
woman wearing a brightly-flowered abaya and white headscarf
behind bars. It starts with a message from then al-Qaeda
in Iraq leader Abu Musab az-Zarqawi. A woman then narrates
the story of Fatima, who claimed to be incarcerated at Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq. She recounts the abuse suffered at
the hands of her occupiers. She describes being raped nine
times by apostates, and repeats that "her belly is full of
the babies of pigs and monkeys." The narrator reminds you
that Fatima is a Muslim sister and pleads for her Muslim
brothers to come to Iraq and kill her along with the
apostates. She goes on to describe that 13 under-aged,
unmarried girls at the prison have been raped in front of
others, then left naked. Another woman in a black
headscarf behind bars is shown. (Note: The woman's hands
are pristine with manicured nails. End Note.) The narrator
continues with a tale of a soldier who tortured a girl to
the point that she lost consciousness. Even though suicide
is forbidden in Islam, the narrator claims that the girl
killed herself because she could not accept living as a
sinner.


7. (C) The next section of Newsflash displays 16 pictures
of American soldiers degrading Muslims in Iraq by
conducting searches of young girls in their homes, pushing
a covered woman, handcuffing young children in their rooms,
searching older women on the street, arresting a teenage
boy face down on the floor, and a child who is a double
amputee and burned. In addition, there are 8 pictures of
American soldiers who are amputees. Liberte journalist
Mounir Boudjema pointed out on July 3 that most of the
website is a quick download from other sources, none of it
newly generated. Those sections that would be attributable
to AIMS are under construction ("Programs", "Who We Are",
"Jihad Leaders", and "An Honored Conversation"),providing
no information on the organization or its creators.

Static Areas


8. (U) Rahmani told PolOffs July 8 that the static areas of
the website are simplistic in their construction. It
includes a "Qur'an" section that links audio recitals by
Sheikh Saoud al-Sharim, Sheikh Saad al-Ghamoudi, Sheikh
Al-Ayoun al-Kouchi, Sheikh Sadiq al-Minchoui and Sheikh
Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Matroud. The "Lectures" section
links to jihadi lectures by Sheikh Hafith bin Ajab
al-Dusri. There is a "Communiques from Terrorist
Organizations" section that links to several al-Qaeda
videos on Iraq. The "Fatwa of the Week" section states
that "All Muslims should help their weak brothers as much
as they can."

Low Readership?


9. (U) The AIMS website has two interactive sections,
"Contact Us" and "Guestbook." In the first ten days
following its launch, the "Guestbook" section received only
5 blogger responses. The website counter itself is also
under construction.

Looking for a Sponsor?


10. (C) The "Ideology" section boasts about AIMS' vast
experience, but claims it needs a sponsor to implement a
program to revive the nation, save people from darkness and
lead them into the light. On July 3, Liberte reporter
Boudjema asserted to Poloffs that this plea for leadership
appears to be a DRS (Algerian military intelligence
service) invention to lure AQIM members out into the open.
By contrast, Rahmani argued to us on July 8 that the
website appeared to be a trap set by the Moroccan
intelligence services working to snag AQIM members.


11. (C) Boudjema told PolOff July 3 that he became highly

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suspicious of the AIMS website because of the timing of the
launch and the mixed messaging it presented. Noted
terrorism expert and London-based al-Hayah journalist
Camille Tawil told PolOff on July 5 that the website's lack
of specific information about its leaders, program and
location was suspect and that "only people inside the
government know what is really going on." Al-Bilad
journalist Faycal Oukaci, who also covers the Algeria
terrorism beat, told PolOffs on July 9 that he gave no
credence to the AIMS website, arguing that it could be "two
kids with access to a computer sitting in a cybercafi in
Nouakchott." He opined that the majority of press reports
concerning AQIM arrests and GOA military operations are
manufactured by the DRS.


12. (C) COMMENT: AIMS's allegiance to AQIM initially drew
attention in the Algerian press as our contacts studied the
announcements. Its website's "Newsflash" and "Pictures"
sections evoke a deep hatred of the U.S. and at the same
time serve as an effective recruitment tool for al-Qaeda in
Iraq. Our contacts noted that the FBI told the Moroccan
media on July 4 that AIMS is situated in southwest
Mauritania. Here in Algeria, however, the best reporters
on Islamist terrorism do not agree that AIMS even exists
and/or where it may be situated.

DAUGHTON