Two of the world’s foremost experts on al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb have published new reports on the group. Al-Hayat journalist Camille Tawil has written a report for Jamestown, and Sciences-Po professor (and Jihadica alumnus) Jean-Pierre Filiu has written another report for Carnegie. Needless to say they are both excellent and worth anyone’s time.
I have read both reports – the Tawil one needs to be bought from Jamestown. The Filiu one is a little disappointing -with a least one major factual error ; bottom of page 6 where he states that Abu Zeid kidnapped the Canadians. Fowler in an interview with CBC states the following “There are four cars down at the bottom on the dune, lights on, heavy machine guns mounted on the four points, and then along the razorback dune are standing six of us with Belmokhtar, the head of the group according to various websites, you know, the king of al-Qaeda in the southern Sahara, and Omar, the kind of hostage liaison was there and, and they have their cellphones.” Belmokkhtar was responsible for the hostage taking.
CBC Transcript 2: Robert Fowler interview Sept. 9, 2009
Both reports do not tell the real truth. Surprised by what Filiu is saying: using some facts to say all wrongly.