The Algerian “Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat” in the northern region of Mali dates back to 2003 before it transformed in 2007 into the “Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb” This presence has been linked to Mukhtar bin Muhammad al-Mukhtar (an Algerian-born in 1972. He disappeared since 2013), known by his nom de guerre Khaled Abu al-Abbas, and dubbed by the Algerian press as “Al Aawar prince of the desert” or “Malboro,” a nickname he acquired as a major smuggler of cigarettes. 2003 was also marked by the kidnapping of 32 foreign tourists in the desert of Algeria by the Algerian Amari Saifi, nicknamed “Abdul-Razzaq Al-Bara,” who crossed the border towards northern Mali before their ordeal ended with their governments paying huge financial ransoms in exchange for his release. In addition to implanting Al-Qaeda, led by Mukhtar bin Muhammad al-Mukhtar in northern Mali, this operation constituted the start of the ransom method as... Read more