VIOLENCE ROCKS TIZI OUZOU ON THE EVE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000307 DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA, S/CT, DS/ICI/CI, DS/IP/ITA, DS/ICI/PII, DS/IP/FPO, NEA/EX AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019 TAGS: ASEC PTER PREL PINS AG SUBJECT: VIOLENCE ROCKS TIZI OUZOU ON THE EVE OF BOUTEFLIKA'S VISIT Classified By: DCM Thomas F. Daughton; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Tizi Ouzou was rocked by violence on the eve of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's March 26 campaign swing through the province, but thanks in part to a massive security presence his tour of two major Kabylie cities occurred without incident. Al'Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) launched a couple of daring attacks against security forces in an effort to demonstrate that they are still a contending force in Algeria. A police station was attacked on March 24 by armed men affiliated with AQIM. On March 26 a roadside bomb targeted a military convoy, killing the senior military official responsible for the operational area and injuring several soldiers. ¶2. (U) The March 24 attack on a police station in Ouacifs (Tizi Ouzou province) lasted for 30 minutes. Three police officers were injured and one later died in the hospital from injuries sustained during the attack. According to press reports, 30 terrorists assaulted the police station at 19:00 hours. Although the police officers were taken by surprise, they apparently were able to maintain a stable defense and to launch a counterattack against the assailants. The attackers were observed running into the forested mountainous area outside the city. Reportedly, none of the terrorists was killed. ¶3. (U) On March 26 at about 16:30 hours, a military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in the town of Ait Chaafa, also in Tizi Ouzou province. Police sources told RSO that the device appeared to have been remotely detonated. The attack occurred just hours before the scheduled visit of President Bouteflika to the area as part of his re-election campaign. The senior military officer in charge of the operational sector of Azeffoun was killed, and several soldiers were injured. Immediately after the attack, the military launched an operation to locate the perpetrators, but no information has been forthcoming concerning the success of the mission. Roadside IED's have been used before against military convoys in Ait Chaafa: in July 2008 a similar ambush was conducted against a military convoy, injuring 11 soldiers. Local media outlets describe Ait Chaafa as a "terrorist stronghold." ¶4. (C) Making no mention of the terrorist activity during his March 26 visit to the Kabylie cities of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, Bouteflika stumped for continuing efforts toward national reconciliation but promised that a general amnesty was not in the offing unless all terror groups surrender. Security forces swarmed the two cities, shutting down cell phone networks and foiling an attempt by rally-goers to throw shoes at the president. To signal a new rapprochement with the region -- where citizens have long felt ignored by the government and where, we were told, Bouteflika fans were bused in from other areas -- the president announced a special regional development plan and admitted mistakes in the way the government handled the Black Spring of 2001, when over 100 people were killed in clashes between civilians and security forces. Commenting on his reception in Tizi Ouzou, Bouteflika reportedly said (rather bizarrely),"Now I can die happy." PEARCE