Posted
on August 15, 2008
Algeria
Safety & Security Report:
The following report was
compiled from the U.S. Embassy Algiers and open source media
reporting:
Attack Overview
During the late evening hours of
August 9, a suicide car bomber attacked a paramilitary Gendarmeries
station in the Algerian city of Zenmouri El-Bahri,
about 40 miles east of
Algiers. Open source press reports have
indicated that eight people were killed and more than 20 injured.
The Algerian Interior Minister Yazad Zerhouni informed Algerian
press that the vehicle used in the attack contained approximately
300 kilograms of explosives. Nearby residents
reported that Algerian gendarmes fired on the vehicle when it
refused to stop at a Gendarmerie vehicle checkpoint but failed to
prevent the detonation. al-Qa’ida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM) has not claimed responsibility for the attack,
although the modus operandi is similar to previous AQIM suicide
attacks.
The attack was the second suicide attack in Boumerdes province in
the past two weeks. A similar suicide bombing targeted a police
station on August 3 near the town of
Tizi Ouzou. The attack
wounded 25 people and was claimed by al-Qa’ida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM). In a message released following
the August 3 attack in Tizi Ouzou, AQIM said the attack was a
message to "the sons of France
and the slaves of
America" that it was ready to
inflict more violence to defend what it called the Islamic nation.
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AQIM Retaliatory Attack
Although unconfirmed, Interior Minister Zerhouni reported the attack
was likely perpetrated in retaliation for the killing of 12 (AQIM)
terrorists in Tizi Ouzou on August 8. The
Algerian military believes that Abdelkahar Benhadj, son of Ali
Benhadj, the spiritual leader of the defunct Islamic Salvation Front
(FIS), was among the dead. The Algerian military
has been conducting military operations in areas around Boumerdes
since late July after receiving information that Abdelkahar Benhadj
and other AQIM members had moved into the area.
Armed groups in Boumerdes, neighboring the mountainous wooded region
of Kabylie, remain the most active in the country. Algerian
government officials estimate that between 300 and 400 AQIM
militants are active in the area.
The August 10 attack represents the heaviest toll since the December
11 suicide car bombing attacks in
Algiers that killed at least 41 people,
including 18 United Nations employees.
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Another Airline Casualty: Aloha Airline
By
JoAnne Green
March 31, 2008
Seeing a decal of a bird of paradise flower on Aloha
Airline’s tail often brought me good memories of good old
days of inter-island hoping during the early 1980s. We, a
bunch of young working college people in Oahu, would get in
line in front of the Aloha Airline counter to get our
tickets to either Maui or Big Island for a 3-day holiday
weekend. We each paid about $US45.00 round trip to
Maui and $US65.00 to
Big
Island. Of
course, we often selected the least busy time of the day to
get such low prices. No advanced reservations needed. We
benefited from fierce competition between Aloha Air and
Hawaiian Air in those days.
On
April 1, 2008, Aloha Airline will cease its operation
completely after a long financial struggle since 2004. There are no
longer any working online reservations through
Aloha Airlines.
Travelers who have booked tickets for future trips can contact
either
United Airlines or
Hawaiian Airlines to rebook their
tickets. Neither
United Airlines or
Hawaiian Airlines promise to honor all
Aloha’s tickets.
Aloha!!!
###
Copyright (c) JoAnne Green
About JoAnne
Green:
JoAnne is an American
businesswoman. She specializes in Multinational Business Relation
and Transglobal Risk Management. She is the founder and principal of
Sunburst
International Risk Management (SRIM) and
Sunburst Worldwide
Insurance Services.
For information on SIRM international risk and insurance protection
programs, custom-designed risk mitigation and training services,
please visit Sunburst websites: www.InternationalRiskManagement.com
and
www.WorldwideMedicalPlans.com
Click Here
for Instant Quotes & Online
Purchase
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Medical & Life Insurance
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