Drokal: The Commander of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Countries of the Islamic Maghreb have had their fair share of the terrorist attacks of al-Qaeda since its founding.
Al-Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb
Algerian authorities
try to arrest the mastermind of terrorist attacks in Algeria, an Algerian
national who commands the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb organization.
The man is called Abdel
Malek Drokal. He is codenamed Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud.
Born in 1970, Drokal
joined extremist groups in 1992 when he was a student at the University of
Blida. After graduation, he joined militants hiding and operating in the
mountains of Algeria.
Terrorism
list
Drokal was included in
Algeria's terrorism list on August 27, 2007. He was accused of financing the
operations of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. He was also accused of
masterminding and carrying out the operations of the organization in different
parts of Algeria.
Salafists
In a statement that dates back to December 13, 2006, Drokal
announces an alliance between the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat,
on one hand, and al-Qaeda,
on the other. He also swears allegiance to the then-al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
On January 24, 2007,
Drokal changed the name of the the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
into al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
In an interview with
The New York Times in July 2008, Drokal said he played a role in the alliance
of the Salafist
Group for Preaching and Combat and al-Qaeda.
Under Drokal's command,
the organization staged a series of terrorist attacks in different parts of
Algeria.
